


Visions of Tomorrow

by Gypsii



Series: Apparitions [2]
Category: Final Fantasy XIII
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2013-04-07
Updated: 2014-10-21
Packaged: 2017-12-07 19:08:45
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 21
Words: 73,457
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/751990
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Gypsii/pseuds/Gypsii
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Fang has left on a dangerous journey, and Light feels the need to find her; learning about both Fang and herself along the way. Rated for violence and harsh themes.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> As per the norm with fanfics, anything you recognize probably doesn't belong to me. Most characters herein, as well as any and all things from Final Fantasy belong to Square Enix and are only portrayed here as a fanwork with no infringement intended.

She had no idea where it came from.  She'd thought it had been destroyed when Cocoon fell.  Yet here it was, newly polished and gleaming like new.  Well, not entirely new.  It still had a few of the small scratches where it had been repaired, but they were hardly noticeable.

She ran her hands along the top of the piano, almost in disbelief of its existence.

"Looks great doesn't it?"  Serah's voice startled her enough to make her jump and turn, looking rather like the kid caught with their hand in the cookie jar.

"How..?"  She turned back to the piano, once again placing her hands flat on the smooth finish.  "I mean.. it should have been destroyed.."

"NORA's been put on contract to do some scavenger runs.. it's why Snow's been so busy."  Serah stepped up next to her sister, then past her to sit on the matching bench.  "They had a run to Bodhum a few weeks ago.."  She lifted the cover off the keys and set it back into a resting position.  "Snow got a little sentimental and took the opportunity to check on the places he knew.  He went to our house to get these.."  She reached into the bag she had slung over her shoulder as Light came to sit next to her on the bench.  Light took the offered photo album from her with shaking hands.  "He said he saw the piano too, and he knew how important it was to me."

"So he.. brought it home?  How did it even survive?"  She couldn't work up the nerve to open the album as she clutched it to her chest.  The Farron history wasn't lost after all.  Their parents weren’t limited to their memory anymore.  It had taken too many years to get this far.

"Well!”  She clapped her hands together lightly and smiled, obviously proud of what her beau had done.  “He had to get the others to help him move it and see if it was even salvageable.  It was cracked along the top and two legs were busted."  Light could see where the repair had been made to the top, though she had to search for it.  Whoever had repaired it had done a very, _very_ good job.  "As it turns out, Lebreau knows a guy who worked on pianos.  She met him through one of the musicians that had played at the Cafe I guess.  He was more than happy to repair it and he didn't charge much."

Light was still in a bit of shock.  The Piano had been their mother's.  It had survived in the house when the sisters had been small and it was one of the few things Lightning felt she could still share with her mother; a love of music.

She had taught them both to play, though Light had picked up on it much faster since she had more interest.  It wasn't until their mother had fallen ill that Serah started to pay more attention.  Once they were alone, it was Light who ultimately taught her to play as well as she did now, though the lessons were few and far between.

But it wasn't just work and trying to raise her that had kept Light from playing.  Claire had been hurt by their parents' deaths, and she couldn’t find a way to express that while protecting Serah.  So Claire had kept her emotions to herself, sealing them away and turning into what would eventually become Lightning.

Serah watched as Light set the album down and move her fingers reverently over the keys.

"I know it's kinda late after everything happened.. but I thought,” she gave a half shrug, “you might need it now, with Fang gone."

"She'll be back."  She stated confidently. 

Serah nodded.  "But in the meantime."

Nyx crept out from the hall and over to settle next to Light on the bench.  She'd been sleeping in Fang's room but as usual she appeared whenever the Pulsian's name was spoken.  "Mew?"  Serah moved from the bench to pick her up. 

"You're so adorable!"  She snuggled the kitten as Light rolled her eyes.  She was still convinced the feline was a con artist.

Nyx was just the distraction Light needed to get away from the piano.  As Serah was occupied with the critter, she closed the cover over the keys and pulled the white sheet over the piano to cover it, as it had been when she found it.

"You're not going to play?"  Serah pouted a little as she and Nyx both stared at her with sad eyes. 

"Tch.  The others will be here soon.  You distracted me from getting everything ready."

"Oh right!"  Serah brightened again and skipped toward the kitchen.  "I'll help!"

Light rolled her eyes again as she followed.

 

 

 

As the week had rolled on, it became apparent that the entire group was feeling the loss of Fang.  It had been Snow's idea to have a little get together, to support each other as they 'got past the rough part.' 

Light wasn't sure if 'the rough part' was going to go away for her.  At first she thought she’d be ok, but with each day she felt Fang’s absence more and more.  She expected the entire time she was gone she was going to feel it.  But some part of her admitted that she'd been lonely; lonely enough to actually agree with Snow, and even offer to have the get together at her place.  Since they were working on adding a room to their own home, Serah and Snow had happily taken her up on the offer.

Not even a week.  It already seemed longer.

She slid the glass door leading to the back yard open.   The lush grass and other plant life around the sizable yard was still a bit unusual for Oerba. 

When she had first returned to Oerba after the Fall, the whole yard had been a layer of rocky, dried out soil.  The crystal dust that had covered Oerba for 500 years had smothered most of the plant life and the soil had dried out.  With the crystal dust gone the greenery had slowly begun to return.  Hardy plants had come first since the soil wasn't very hospitable, but once people began working with it and fertilizing it, other plants had been able to make their home there.  They still had to bring in many plants manually, but with each passing month, Oerba came more alive.

Light hadn't really noticed at first.  She'd been too busy helping people find their place in this new world.  When Fang and Vanille awoke they had nowhere to go and no money or assets with which to forge their way in a Cocoon based society.  Light had offered for them to stay with her and Serah until they could get themselves started.  They had agreed and in the time that they stayed there, they had transformed Light's barren back yard into a beautiful area to relax, as well as a place for friends to get together.  Light had been so busy at the time, she hadn't even noticed until they were nearly finished.  Once Fang started working with the Corps and they moved into their own place, they had still made the effort to attend the plants.  It was mostly Vanille; Fang had been just as busy as Light for a while.

With Fang's absence, the yard had become her favorite place to sit.  In her free time, she would relax in her lounge chair beneath the umbrella with Nyx curled up next to her or on her lap.

Now, it would be the main space of the eminent party.  Snow had gone a little overboard on the invites and the entire extended family would be in attendance.   She had relented perhaps a little too easily, but she felt the need to be around friends.  Besides, she had the room and now she wanted to thank them in some way for their efforts with the piano, even if she couldn't -wouldn’t- simply tell them so.

She busied herself with getting the fire going as Serah set up some portable tables on the stone patio.  Tonight they would cook campfire style; more or less in homage of their trip through the wilds of Gran Pulse when they all got to know each other as family. 

She heard an air bike settle out front and turned to see Serah dash from the kitchen toward the front door.  "I got it!"  Light dusted off her hands as she followed to help.  She knew it would be Vanille and Lebreau; they had volunteered to bring the majority of the food.

As she stepped out the front door, she could see Lebreau and Serah struggling with a large cooler.  Vanille was collecting a few bags from the back but paused to wave to Light as she approached. 

Vanille had been somewhat surprising.  Each day since Fang left, she had spent time with Light.  Light suspected it was in effort to help them both and soothe over the loss as much as they could.  Vanille had mostly stopped crying but everyone knew she was feeling Fang's loss the most.  In turn, the two had been meeting in the evenings, just to talk over dinner; bonding.   Light had to admit Vanille wasn't as annoying to her as she used to be and she even enjoyed her company.

"How much did you bring?"  She asked, motioning for Serah to help Vanille as she moved to help Lebreau with the cooler.

"Enough, hopefully!"  Lebreau laughed as they finally freed it.  Light lifted one side by the handle as she got the other.  "Brought the alcohol too," she grinned.

Light nodded as they carried the cooler inside, followed by the younger girls carrying the bags.  Once in the kitchen, they worked together to unpack everything and take stock.  Indeed, they had brought most of the food and plenty of alcohol.  Light raised a brow at the sheer amount of bottles they were unpacking onto the table they'd set up to use as the bar.  "What'd you do, pack up the entire bar?"

Lebreau laughed.  "A good portion of it.  I figured it was worth it.” She shrugged, “It’s no more than they'd drink if I had open bar at the cafe."  She took the empty cooler and cleaned it out, then started putting ice into it.  "It's mostly just beer anyhow."

Vanille bounced back inside; looking in better spirits than Light had seen her all week.  "I've got to prep the meat.  We ended up getting bigger pieces than we were going to, so they'll take longer to cook."  Light moved out of her way and helped carry the cooler filled with ice outside to the 'bar', where Lebreau and Serah began burying the beer bottles in the ice.

Leaving them to that, she headed back inside to help Vanille.   They worked in silence for awhile.  Vanille continued cutting the partially butchered hunks, every so often tossing a small piece onto a plate she'd set aside for Nyx.

"Do you think she's ok?"  Vanille asked softly, the sadness seeping into her voice.

Since her hands were covered in raw meat, Light pushed her lightly with her hip.  "No doubts.  She's fine.  She'll be fine.  She'll come home."

Vanille nodded, but didn't comment as she cut into another piece of the meat.  "..How long do you think she'll be out there?"

Light paused, her own knife stilled against the cutting board.  "I..  I'm not sure.  We didn't really discuss how long she'd be gone."

"Oh.."

"If she's gone more than a few months,” she stated, staring blankly at the knife in her hand, “I'm going after her."

Vanille lit up.  If she hadn't been holding raw meat, Light was certain she would have hugged her.  It was enough for her to lean over and rest her head against Light's arm for a moment.  Lightning understood her gratitude.

 

 

 

The music was loud; Snow's somewhat drunken voice even louder.  Light was glad she'd had the foresight to not only warn her neighbors about the party but invite them to join in.  Normally, it might have bothered her that what had started out as more or less family gathering had become more of a block party.  Well, at least she could say their neighbors liked them.

The food had long since been cooked and placed on a table for everyone to get as they wished, leaving the fire pit to used for a small bon fire.  She tossed a few more logs in as she surveyed the social interaction around her.

Snow, as usual, was holding court over most of NORA, and several other young men from the neighborhood who had ventured into the festivities.  'Several women too,' Light noted several girls around Snow who seemed entirely too taken with him.  Serah seemed on top of the situation though, as she stayed close to him and was talking rather amicably with some of the group.

More surprisingly to her, Vanille's crowd was beginning to rival Snow's.  It seemed they were interested in her stories of Gran Pulse, ages ago; specifically, tales of the ancient version of their new home.

Light knew that most of the people in Oerba had settled there partially because it was small and mostly quiet, and partially in show of their support of the ex-l'cie.  Light had been confused over it at first, but had come to accept their views and was grateful for them.  Oerba may be bigger than it had been in its previous life, but it was still a fairly small town, and most of those who lived there knew everyone else. 

It reminded her of Bodhum, which was somehow comforting.  A good deal of the people who had settled there were from Bodhum as well, also looking for the comfort of something like home.  And just like Bodhum, Oerba was looking very much like it was going to become a seaside tourist trap.  Talk had even gone around about reviving the fireworks display that Bodhum had put on each year. 

But one notable thing was different, as stated by Serah and pretty much everyone else who knew her from Bodhum; Light was more sociable.  In Bodhum, she'd known the names of her neighbors, but she'd rarely ever spoken to them.  Here, people weren't afraid to approach her.  Her temper was well known though and usually conversations were kept friendly and short, leaving her the control to continue it or move on to whatever duties she had to attend. 

Fang had a lot to do with that.  Fang, when not anxious about some worry or another, was openly sociable and found it easy to make friends.   She was helpful to the elderly and quick to defend anyone who lived on what she considered her turf. 

At first, Light had found the thought of being so open with everyone rather intimidating, but the more she was around Fang when she was being sociable, the easier she found it to fall into the same type of role.  Though Light admitted Fang was _much_ better with kids than she was.  Light had found she was quick to lose her patience with most children under the age of ten.  It wasn't that she didn't like them, she just felt incredibly awkward around them.  She thought it might be because of how she'd disconnected herself from her childhood when her parents died.   She was still working on that.  She felt it may never get better; the damage was done, but she would try.  After all, if Serah and Snow had kids, she'd be expected to take part in their lives and for that alone, she would try.  'Just.. not tonight.' she mused, sipping her beer.

Luckily for her, Sazh and Dadj were entertaining most of the kids, and making sure they stayed out of the alcohol.

As it got later, people started leaving.  Most made sure to seek her out and thank her for her hospitality.  It was.. refreshing.  She was all smiles for everyone, thanking them for coming and wishing them a safe trip home; short as it may or may not be.

Soon enough, the music was shut down and most of NORA made their exit as well.  Light said goodnight to them as Sazh and Hope put out the fire.  Once everything was settled, cleaned up, or moved into the kitchen to deal with in the morning, they moved inside.  The Pulsan night was too cold to be comfortable without the fire.  Everyone filed in ahead as Light hesitated a moment, her gaze turning toward the crystallized husk of Cocoon, then toward the mountains in the north.  "Be safe.." she murmured to herself before stepping inside and sliding the glass door closed.

Those that remained had gathered in the living room.  All that remained was close family; Serah, Snow, Vanille and her Husband, Sazh, Dadj and Hope.  Light sat down as Serah and Vanille passed out glasses of wine to everyone except Dadj, who had juice.  When they finished, everyone held up their glass in a toast.  "To family; those present and passed on."  Light said, a prayer of sorts that was always spoken at their gatherings in remembrance.  It was repeated by the group, and then together, they added, "To Fang."


	2. Chapter 2

Light came home to find some kind of fluff all over the hardwood floor.  A soldier's learned instinct put her on edge.  Had someone broken in?  Her hand settled on the hilt of her gunblade as she moved along the wall.  Someone was in the living room; she could hear them rummaging around.  With her back against the wall, she stilled when she got to the archway that lead into the living room.  Mentally, she counted down to herself. '3.. 2.. 1!'

She sprang around and through the archway, pulling her blade in one swift motion.

"Agh! What are you doing!"  Nyx looked up from where she was tearing into the couch like it was a dead behemoth.

"Mew?"

"Bad kitty! Bad!"  She sheathed her blade and moved to grab the little feline but Nyx shot past her and darted up the steps.  "Come back here!"  She followed, only to find Nyx had tucked herself under Fang's bed, where Light couldn't reach her.  She got down on her belly to slip under the bed, doing an army crawl to get to the offender.

The doorbell rang.  It startled her enough that she lifted herself, causing her to smack her head on one of the support bars of the bed.  "Etro’s hands!"  She swore, a curse she’d picked up from Fang.  Nyx used the distraction to run past her again, off to a new hiding spot.  She let her go as she shimmied out from under the bed, rubbing her head as she went to answer the door.

"Oh goodness!  Are you ok?"

Light stopped rubbing and sighed as her arm dropped to her side.  "I'm fine.  Hit my head."  She moved and allowed Vanille to enter.  The younger girl followed her in and shut the door, quickly taking note of the trail of fluff.  She gasped when she saw the torn up couch.

"What happened?"

"Nyx decided to practice on my couch."

Vanille couldn't help but giggle, her hand coming up to try and hide the smile.  "She must be bored." The canthor in question poked her head into the room and immediately bounded up into Vanille's lap as she knelt down to greet her.  She proceeded to purr happily and nuzzle her hands for pets.  "She should be trained soon.. or she might keep doing it."  She said thoughtfully as she scratched her behind her ears.

"I don't know how to train a canthor.."  Light sighed as she dropped into her favorite armchair, thankful it was still intact.  She was exhausted.  Work had been brutal and all she wanted was a nice bath to relax.

Vanille looked at her thoughtfully.  "Hmm.. Well, there was only one canthor in Oerba before.. it was older than me and already trained.. but they're really smart.  Maybe you could take her with you and let her watch you when you train? Maybe she'd pick something up.."

"I don't really want her to pick up on attacking people.."  That wasn't a happy mental image at all. "Maybe I'll try though.  Maybe someone on post will have some ideas."

Vanille nodded, smiling as she stood and shoo'd the cat away.  "C'mon then, I'll help you clean up."  Light was grateful for the offer.

 

 

 

Once everything was cleaned up, they made dinner and settled on the patio.  As Light got comfortable on her lounge chair, she watched Vanille.  The girl seemed pensive as she picked at her food.  It was obvious something was bothering her.  "You're worried," she stated, reaching down to give Nyx a pat as she came to curl up with her on the chair, apparently over the earlier incident.

"Of course I'm worried.."  She pushed some of her potatoes around on her plate with her fork.  "It's been a whole month.  Without any way to contact her.. without any way for her to contact us.. How do we know if she's ok?  What if she needs help?"  She turned to look toward the mountains.  "..She's all alone out there."

Light shifted her gaze down to where her fingers were rubbing Nyx's ear, the feline happily purring for the attention.  "She said she's done this before."

"Well she has.. Every two years since she turned ten.  But she always had Delta with her.. she wasn't alone."  She finally looked back down at her plate.  "I always worried, even then."

Light sat up, turning to the side so that her legs hung over the edge of the chair, feet on the stone. It was time to have that discussion she kept putting off.  "Tell me about the Yun."  Now, Vanille looked up to her, mild surprise written on her features.  "Tell me about her clan."

She hesitated; Light made a mental note of it.  "..I don't really know all that much about them..  They were kinda secretive about a lot of things."  She pushed away what was left of her food and turned to give Light her full attention.  "Fang was.. I dunno, kinda an outcast I guess.  But she didn't really tell me much about them either.  I guess I was never really surprised..  I mean, all the clans that still followed Clan Law were pretty secretive."

"Clan Law?"

"Mmm.."  She hummed a moment, trying to decide how best to explain.  "Once upon a time, all Clans followed laws specific to them.  A lot of them were common to most clans, but a lot were different too.  Mostly, they supported whatever the Clan's specialty was.  But when people started branching out instead of just following that specialty, well.. a lot of clans started switching over to Universal Law.

"Universal Law is more like what you know, everyone follows it.  As more and more clans made the transition, those that still followed Clan Law were vastly segregated.  Clan Law wasn't outlawed or anything, but a lot of people looked down on it.  But there were treaties and Laws that protected those clans that stuck with Clan Law and as long as those were followed, they let them go on as they pleased."

She looked thoughtful again. "There were only.. I don't know, maybe five clans that stuck to Clan law completely.  The Yun Clan was one of them."

"So they were specialized."

She nodded.  "Yeah.  Yun are.. or were, hunters; protectors."  She smiled, "I'm sure you could figure that out already."

Light nodded with a chuckle of her own.  That was easy enough to see in Fang.

Vanille continued, "So aside from what everyone saw of them, no one really knew much about them.  No one ever saw Yun under the age of sixteen.  Fang was the odd one.  She was born in Oerba, and grew up here.  But once she hit ten, she had to go to the Yun Village every two years."

"Why?"

"Training I guess.. I'm not really sure.  Fang never talked about it much."

Now it was Light that looked thoughtful.  "What was the Dia specialty?"

"Oh.. Herbalists.. Healers."  Light nodded as Vanille continued.  That made sense.  "They had long since gone to Universal Law before I was born though."  She smiled, perhaps a fond memory crossing her mind's eye, "I actually got into healing because of Fang.  She had a habit of getting into trouble when we were little.  She'd often come home all cut up or bruised."  She paused before adding, "Usually escorted by the Hunt Elder, Oerba Yun Delta.  Delta was the only other Yun who lived in Oerba, but she grew up in the Yun village and then settled in Oerba in her twenties I guess."

"Was that common?  Them settling in other places, I mean."

"Oh.. yeah, Yun were everywhere.  They usually served as hunters for smaller villages, and in the bigger cities they would act as protectors."

"But Pulse had a military."

"Well yeah.  Originally clans either defended themselves, or hired Yun."

"Mercenaries?"

"Not exactly.  Delta always said it wasn't a job.. it was their purpose.  I'm not really sure what she meant by that, she never explained it to me."

Light 'hmm'd' thoughtfully.  "So how did the military come about?"

"Well.. As Universal Law was more accepted, some clans fought against it."

"Civil war."

Vanille nodded.  "So the Military was formed to deal with that.  Then they basically sat around like a figurehead for a long time."

"Huh.  Like Psicom after the War."

Vanille thought about that.  "Now that I think about it.. there are a lot of correlations.  And it was the War with Cocoon that put the military back in action.  " She shook her head, "But they were outmanned and outgunned, so they focused on the bigger cities.  The small villages like Oerba were left undefended, so the Yun stepped up to defend them.  But as good as they were.. they couldn't' stand against Fal'cie or even l'cie."

"What about Pulse l'cie?"

"There just weren't enough of them, and most of them weren't particularly strong."  At Light's look of slight confusion, Vanille clarified, "Anima is the only Fal'cie on Pulse to proactively create l'cie.  All the others.. well, some of them would create l'cie, but they would always be like the ones we helped; just to hunt and eliminate cieth or monsters.  Some of them would go against their focus and fight in the war.. but it would always make their brands progress faster.  Some would go cieth right in the middle of battle.. and start taking out those who were allies just moments before."

Fang's fears of them all turning cieth on her were making more and more sense.  "Tough break."

Vanille nodded, lapsing into silence.  Light settled back into her lounging position on her chair, idly stroking Nyx's sleeping form as she though over what Vanille had said.

It was only a few moments before Vanille's phone alarm went off.  "Oh! I have to get home.  Thanks for dinner!"

Light sat up to give her a slightly awkward hug.  "Alright. Can we talk more on this sometime?"

Vanille tilted her head, curious as to Light's sudden interest.  "Sure."

"Thanks Vanille.  I'll call you in a few days ok?  I'm going to be tied up at work a lot."

"Ok.  Don't work too hard!"

 

 

 

The next few weeks of work weren't as busy as Light made them out to be.  She told everyone it was, as the extra time afforded her the ability to work with Nyx, as well as pour over the history of Gran Pulse, as told by Fang and writings that had been found around the ruins.

Nyx sat off to the side of her office, curled up on a pillow that Light had brought in for her.  She was kicking a little in her sleep, every so often making a noise that made Light look away from the reports and over to her.  Once assured the cat was still asleep, she would look back to the reports.

There was so much to go through.  She almost couldn't believe Fang had been able to get through writing most of this in the time she'd been working with them, especially since she'd been going out in the field quite often as well.  She supposed Fang tried to be moderately efficient at  _some_  things she did, while here she was lying about how busy she was so everyone wouldn't bother her as she poured over history texts and trained her- no,  _their_  cat.

Nyx actually turned out to be the easy part.  The first few training sessions were a bit rough as the feline learned the difference between friend and prey, but once she figured it out her intelligence really started to show.  It was easy to see why canthors had been a popular pet for hunters; their natural instinct, bonded with relatively easy training would certainly turn them into a worthy adversary on the field.  Light was beginning to see why Fang had referred to her as a 'good partner'.  In turn, the pair had grown closer and it had become rare for anyone to see Light without the cat at her side.

She didn't feel bad about taking the extra time.  She only felt a  _little_  bad about lying to everyone.  Well, almost everyone.  Vanille had found out the truth first, as Light often asked her questions and asked if she could clarify certain things she'd read from the reports.  Serah had found out shortly after.  Since Snow was still busy with scavenger runs with NORA, she'd been spending more time with Vanille, and Light when she was available.  So Serah opted to help, though still neither she nor Vanille were clear on why Light was so interested.  They suspected it was a work thing at first, but the more it went on, the more they felt she was seeking information that might help her find Fang.  After all, the northern mountain range covered a vast amount of land.

That was the main reason, true.  But also, she was looking for any references to the Yun Clan.  Serah had been right, it was obviously important if Fang would risk her life to find out what happened to them.  However Light had let the opportunity to ask Fang about it slip through her fingers, and now she was left scraping for whatever she could find.

Frustratingly enough, there wasn't any reference to them at all.  She found references to other clans, if only in mention of names, but never Yun.  It was like they simply didn't exist.  Part of her knew that a lot of clans weren't being mentioned but if what Vanille said about Yun being so important to the villages and cities was true, there should be  _some_  mention of them  _somewhere_.

A knock on her door distracted her from her agitation.  As she looked up, she called, "Come!"

A woman a little older than her stuck her head in.  Her dark blue hair was pulled up into a loose bun and a small pair of reading glasses was perched on her nose.  She was one of the historians Light had been working with.  "Bad time?"

She exhaled, letting out her stress as she settled back into her chair.  "Not at all, Liza. Did you find something?"

Liza's face broke out in a grin as she entered the office, allowing the door to close behind her.  She gave Nyx a pat on the head before she sat in the chair across from Light.  She set a folder in front of her.  "Thought you might find these interesting.  We haven't been able to translate much though.  This seems an older text than anything else we've found."

Curiously, Light flipped through the scanned images printed on the pages.  Though she could read the newest form of Pulsian, these ancient texts might have well been from another planet.  "Where were they found?"

"Small village they're excavating in the foothills.  They found quite a few texts there.. unfortunately, most of them are too far gone.  We're doing what we can to restore them, but it'll be a miracle if we can get anything out of them.  On the other hand, some are still easily legible; they just need translation."

She flipped through a few more pages, wondering if there was anything in them she might find remotely recognizable.  And then she did.  A collection of symbols, arranged in two nested circles around a very familiar symbol.  "The Eidolons?"  It was easy to recognize Odin's symbol in the center and she was fairly certain the inner circle consisted of Shiva, Alexander, Hecatoncheir, Brynhildr, and yes, the last was definitely Bahamut.

Liza tilted her thoughtfully.  "They seem the same.  However this text is pretty old.. from what we can tell, it's a text on Pulsan Mythos.  We're working on translations, so what we have is a bit sketchy.. but these symbols seem to represent the 'Epic Beasts', which had been mentioned in other texts, but no symbols for them until now."  She reached out and flipped to the next page where a similar diagram of symbols showed, only they were definitely different.  The only one she could recognize was a rather ancient symbol for Etro, which resided in the center, as Odin had.  "These would appear to be Deities of some sort."  She handed Light a magnifying glass.  "More interesting are the captions beneath the symbols."

Light used the magnifying glass and looked closely, moving from symbol to symbol.  Mostly, she didn't recognize anything, except for a few of the captions contained the Eidolon symbols as well.  Most of the text wasn't very legible even if she could read the language it was in.  She stopped when she found one that was accompanied by Bahamut's symbol.  The caption with it was legible, and someone had translated it; 'Yun' was written by hand below it.  Light didn’t need the translation however, as it was written the same way Fang had always written it.

Liza grinned.  "This is the first mention of the Yun we've found."  The woman still looked apologetic.  "Unfortunately, it raises more questions and only answers one single question; that they _did_  exist."  Liza did not voice that she wished Fang was still around to give them answers.  Everyone had become wary of mentioning the Pulsan Warrior in Light's presence.

More frustration, that's all it was.  Light put down the glass and ran a hand through her hair.  "Was there anything  _useful_  translated?"

"Well.."  She pulled the last paper out of the folder and set it on top; an ancient map.  Again, the symbols of the Eidolons and Deities repeated over various parts of the map.  "Obviously, Gran Pulse doesn't look like this anymore.. but we can easily see land formations that still exist today.  The ocean, the mountains.  Oerba would be about.. here," Liza pointed out for reference sake.  "We think this is a sort of.. domains map.  This is the Steppe here.. it was very different then;  _much_ larger.  Odin's domain."  She pointed to another area, "These appear to be volcanoes.. obviously, not there anymore.  Brynhildr's Domain."  She pointed to a land mass far to the south in the ocean.  "We think this is supposed to represent an ice floe.  Air reconnaissance suggests it's still down there."

"Shiva." Light supplied, leaning forward to follow along.

"Right.  Out here," she moved her hand to another part of the map, "is a dessert.  It's still there.  Alexander."  She moved her hand to point out a great mass of what was supposed to be trees.  "This jungle is mostly gone.. There's a huge gash in the land there which covers roughly this area," she moved her hand to cover a good portion of the jungle.  "We believe that may be one of the first areas that was 'plundered' by the Fal’cie."  Light nodded, understanding the 'plunders' were events where Fal'cie came and literally stripped the land without warning, gathering material for the building of Cocoon. "Hecatoncheir."

"So that leaves Bahamut in the mountains."

Liza nodded.  "Interestingly enough, Bahamut's symbol is again paired with this deific symbol.  None of the other five are associated with a deific symbol, though some of the lesser ones," she pointed to the paper with the Eidolon symbols assembled in nested circles, specifically, at the outer symbol of symbols Light didn't recognize, "are. This one, Fenrir, is also associated with the mountains, but does not seem connected directly like Bahamut and this symbol are."  She motioned back to the map.

While it was all terribly fascinating in a way she never expected ancient texts to be, Light wasn't sure how it actually fit into the story.

 

 

 

Saturday; a day off for a change.  She padded down the steps in a simple pair of black yoga pants and a t-shirt.  She had nowhere to be anytime soon, no reason to get dressed entirely just yet.  Nyx followed along as she went into the kitchen, where she got water on the stove for tea and then went about making up a morning plate for her feline companion.

She knelt down to place the plate on the floor, but stayed to rub the canthor's ear affectionately.  "It's funny how things work out.  I brought you to her so she wouldn't be lonely.. and here you are, keeping me from being lonely."  She smiled softly, noting that Nyx hadn't dove into her breakfast.  Something she'd noticed while training, Nyx now awaited certain signals before acting.  With a pat on the head, she signaled to her that it was ok.  As she got up and made her tea, she could hear the cat tearing into her food.

She took her tea and moved back out to what was technically the dining room, though it wasn't used for that purpose.  She set her tea down on the ledge of the large window as she pulled the drapes open to let in the sunlight.

Her hands shook as she pulled the white sheet away to reveal the dark hardwood of the piano.  She folded the sheet and set it aside before moving to sit on the bench before the keys.  When she lifted the cover, her hands were still shaking.

The keys were pristine, white and black, perfectly in order.  She just stared at them.  She wasn't entirely sure why she'd gone to it.  She hadn't even uncovered the thing since that day it appeared, nearly two months before.  It had been nearly seven years since she'd played. She was afraid she wouldn't be able to anymore.

"Now or never.."  She breathed to herself as she settled her hands on the keys.  First, she depressed three keys to form the chord.  She was pleased with the sound; it didn't seem to be out of tune.

Her fingers moved across the keys, mimicking a song, though she didn't press any down.  Once satisfied she remembered the song enough to at least find the keys, she began to play.

For the first time in  _years_  she simply let go.  She let the music flow back into her.  It came back to her easily and she closed her eyes, a smile toying at the corners of her lips.  She'd always played as her emotional release.  For the last few years, Fang had provided her with some release through sparring with either verbal wit or physical prowess.  Now, with her gone.. she couldn't help but be glad for the piano's return to her home.

She wasn't sure how long she played.  She wasn't sure when Nyx finished her breakfast and came to perch herself on the bench next to her.  How long had it been since her tea had gone cold, untouched on the window sill?  She wasn't sure when Serah and Vanille had arrived, or how long the two of them had been standing there in the archway watching her.

They startled her enough that she slammed the cover back down over the keys.  She was fighting the blush of embarrassment she could feel creeping up her chest.

"Don't stop, that was beautiful!"  Vanille actually had tears in her eyes.  Light looked back down at the hardwood.

"Light's a little.. shy about playing."  Serah said slowly.  A little shy?  The only one who ever saw her play was Serah, and she had a hard time playing in front of her.

"I just lost track of the time."  She swiftly moved to cover the piano and then recovered her cold tea.  She ushered them out of the room, hasty to forget the momentary embarrassment.  They automatically moved toward Light's study, where scanned pages and notes were tacked up all over the wall, including several maps.

Vanille had more or less taken up Fang's spot working with the historians since she became aware of the texts they were translating.  She wasn't much good at translating them herself since she'd never learned the ancient dialects, but she did know a lot of the tales that they had been able to half translate.

She'd also been able to fill in some of the names of the deities- who were actually demigods/goddess', but she was unsure about the links between them and the Epic Beasts.  There was a little confusion on Vanille's part about the Yun clan's demi, but she thought her name was Artemi.  Artemi was either the demigoddess, the Village, or perhaps both.  Fang had never told her anything direct, she could only infer from the ways Fang had spoken the name.  It was a start.

"So."  Light began, as she unrolled a new map on the table.  "This is a topography map taken from an unmanned miniplane.  They were testing new sensors.  As you can see, it managed to get farther into the mountains than any other.. but it crashed apparently around here right after the sensors died."

"Why can't anything get through?"  Serah asked curiously.

"They're not entirely sure.. but they suspect there may be a high concentration of minerals that are just wreaking havoc on everything electronic.  The closest they've ventured to the mountains on foot is about here," she pointed out an area in the foothills.  "They only went that far because of the ruins of some village.  Which is where most of these texts came from."

"Hmm."  Vanille looked over the map, as if trying to remember landmarks and translated them into what she saw on the paper.  "I think.. That might be the Nih Village."  She looked thoughtful a moment.  "That would make sense too, since they were record keepers."

"That would explain the concentration of texts," Light agreed.  "What do you know about them?"

"Not too much..  Their village was small and hidden to protect their work.  They tended to keep maps, which was basically a no-no, so it had to be hidden.  I don't think most of them lived there.. I think they were mostly scattered among the villages and cities.  There was a Nih in Oerba, but he left shortly after Cocoon soldiers attacked.  Well, we thought he left.  He kinda just.. disappeared."

"Clan Law or Universal?"

"A mix of both I think.. I mean, they seemed to follow Universal, but they were still keeping records, and since that was their clan purpose.. it makes sense to do both."

"Why were maps bad?"  Serah interrupted; confused.

It was Light who answered, "When you're at war, a map in the hands of the enemy can be devastating.  If the Pulse Army was struggling already, they wouldn't want that info in the hands of Cocoon soldiers."

Vanille nodded in agreement.  "A lot of the small villages relied on not being spotted as their main defense.  They just didn't have much of a choice."

Serah nodded silently, looking back at the map.  "So.. if this is all the sensors saw before crashing out.. it's not enough right?"  Lightning knew Serah understood her sister's need to find her love, but she also knew she wasn't very comfortable with the idea.

"Well, it's enough to make some connections.  Like this," she pointed to a place on the map far but not  _terribly_  far from the settlement Fang would have gotten off the train at; it would take about two days to reach on foot.  "This looks like an opening into the mountains that doesn't deal with climbing cliffs.  It's easy to use, but also easy to defend if needed, so I can see that as being the first passage."

"Do you think Fang went that way?"

"Possibly.  There's no threat of leading an invasion in, so I don't see why she'd take a more difficult route."  She mulled that over for a moment.  "Unless she's playing on the way . Testing herself," she clarified; she didn't really think Fang just played around for the hell of it.  "But I doubt it.  She was being very serious about all of this."

Vanille nodded in agreement.  Fang had a bad habit of doing things the hard way 'for the fun of it' but this didn’t seem to be one of those times.  Fang would want to get out there and back as quickly as possible.

"But you have no idea where she would go after that, even if she  _did_ go that way!"  Serah shook her head, standing in her upset.  "This is crazy! How do you expect to find anything out there!"

Vanille looked at her hands, dejected.  Light didn’t need to look at her to know how she felt.  Without her pigtails, it seemed harder for her to hide behind the veneer of cheeriness.  Light could tell Vanille wanted to tell Serah to be quiet; to understand that she had to do it because Vanille couldn't. 

At the same time, it was obvious that Vanille understood.  Serah couldn't sway her anger at Light planning to just.. run off into the mountains on her own.  She was going through the same heartache Vanille had just a few short months before when Fang had been planning to leave.  Maybe it was worse; at least Fang had a general idea of where she was headed.

Light wasn't taking any of it.  "And what would you have me do?  Sit here and wait for answers that might never come?  What would you do if it was Snow out there?"

A few tears slid from her eyes under her older sister's hard glare.  "I.. I would want to find him."  She sniffled.  She understood her want to go; she was just afraid of losing her.

With a sigh, Light moved forward and wrapped her arms around her sister.  "I'm sorry Serah.. but this is something I have to do.  I'm trying to be a prepared as I possibly can so you don't have to worry as much."  Her voice dropped to a whisper.  "I have to find her Serah.  I can't live without her.  I just can't."

 


	3. Chapter 3

****

She was going to need to get out of the sun soon.  She shielded her eyes with her hand as she looked around.  There should have been one around here, unless she was wrong about where she was.  But no, she could recognize the outcroppings and the skyline of the mountains.  It had to be around here..

“Ah there!”  She spotted the circle of stone that would have been the pit for the signal fire.  She moved over to examine it, but the small hut that had once stood there was gone.  Five hundred years was just too much for the disposable structure to survive.  She knelt down and ran her hands over the stones in the circle. They were worn from hundreds of years exposure to the weather.  The runes that had been carved into them were gone.  It had been the same with the other two lookout stations she had found on the way here. 

In her frustration, she pulled up a smaller stone from nearby and threw it as hard as she could into the valley she had trekked through just that morning.  It had taken nearly two months to get this far.  Landslides and open faults had changed the landscape, blocking many of the old paths.  Bad weather and Mountain Behemoths in their mating season had slowed her progress.  To make it this far only to find evidence that everything was gone.. she could feel her heart constricting.  Everything really was gone.  She ran her hands through her hair as she knelt there, her lance resting across her thighs.

Part of her just wanted to give up and go home.  She wanted to explore her new position with Lightning and see where things went.  But she also knew, that if she gave up before she really knew, she would regret it and likely try again.  No, better to continue and get it over with now.

In the folded crimson blade of her lance, something flashed.  On instinct, she dove to the side just in time to avoid being cleaved in half by a scimitar.  She rolled and brought up her lance to ward off a dual bladed warrior that went on a frontal assault.  She blocked the blades with the shaft of her lance then forced her back with a hard shove.  She growled as she turned the lance in her hands, snapping the blades into place.  “C’mon then..”

Five on one.  Normally, she wouldn’t worry, but she was already tired from her long trek.  She knew she’d been in the sun too long as well, her vision was already beginning to blur on the edges.  She needed to finish this quickly, or not at all.

She eyed each warrior in turn.  Two carried swords, one twin daggers, one archer on the fringes, and one seemed to be unarmed.  She spun her lance and deflected an arrow.  The brawler moved in as the bladed women moved for better position. 

Mentally, she cursed.  They were surrounding her, exactly what she didn’t want with her peripheral vision as blurred as it was.

The brawler closed in quickly and tried to hook her arm around the lance.  She was trying to disarm her, but Fang had other ideas.  She lifted the lance and pulled it close to her chest, effectively trapping her arm.  She planted her feet and twisted her body, pulling the brawler with her, using her own momentum against her.  She bent backward just enough to flip the other woman over top of her then let her arm free.  Unable to catch herself fast enough, the woman crashed into one of the sword carriers, causing them both to tumble down the incline. 

She shifted her grip on her lance and swung it in a wide arc, forcing the second sword carrier to step backward, but Daggers jumped and lunged at her.  She let her tackle her, regretting the action only slightly when her back hit the ground.  Again, she used her attacker’s momentum to propel her off of her, only to immediately still as she felt cold steel against her throat.  Her eyes shifted to take in a sixth warrior she hadn’t seen before.  The blade of her glaive against her neck was firmly held in the warrior’s hands.  The archer had also moved in, and took the lance from her hands.  Fang did the only thing she could in such a situation; she laughed.  “Guess I lost.”

Her vision was swimming.  The sun, the exertion; heat exhaustion set in and she just couldn’t hang on anymore. 

 

 

 

When she came to, it was cooler, darker.  No; it was still daylight.  The musty smell of damp earth and stone told her they were in one of the caves that pockmarked the mountains.  She could feel cloth beneath her; one of the warrior’s cloaks.  She groaned involuntarily as she felt her torso lifted.  Cool water touched her lips and she couldn’t help but drink. 

She realized she shouldn’t have pushed herself so hard the last few days, but when she’d found the first lookout station, she’d been anxious to see more.  She had, of course only found more remains.  The exhaustion and dehydration, coupled with the fact that she hadn’t really eaten enough in the last week or so, was certainly enough to make her clumsy. 

She ventured to open her eyes, thankful that whoever was holding her had the mind to turn her away from the mouth of the cave, and the sunlight would have left her partially blind for a few moments.  Blinking away the grit that had accumulated, she tentatively sat up, with a little help from the woman holding her.

“Go slow.” The woman spoke calmly.

Fang was inclined to agree with that plan, since the act of sitting up alone had sent her head spinning. With a hand to her forehead, she waited for it to settle before she opened her eyes again to look at the woman.  She was older, flecks of grey showed near her temples and randomly throughout her dulled russet hair.  She wore a sari similar to her own, only it was a deep jade and arranged to cover her back and shoulders, and her legs down to her knees.  She seemed in good health for her age and Fang had no doubt that if she wanted to cause trouble in her current state, this woman would not need help taking her down; but she had it anyhow.

Behind her, Fang could see four of the five warriors she’d fought.  The archer stood at the mouth of the cave, an arrow knocked and ready; keeping watch.  Her hair was a golden blonde, deep in contrast to the black leather that clung tight to her form.

The two sword wielders were also present.  One was cleaning her scimitar.  Her dark brown hair was pulled back into a tight tail.  She also wore black leather garments, as did the woman holding the long sword.  Long sword was watching her intently as she took it all in.  She looked relaxed, but Fang could tell she would spring on a moment’s notice.  Her hair was a mix of black and blue, shaved into a flopped mohawk.

The brawler, looking rather irritated, was leaning against the cave wall, guarding her lance.  Her short, coppery hair was slicked back, with a black band.  She too wore similar black leather.

It was safe to assume the missing fifth was also on guard duty, probably outside the cave. 

Fang’s eyes narrowed a bit.  ‘A hit squad?’ she wondered.  But where did they come from?  Did that mean the clan had survived?  _How?_    It seemed so impossible.  None of them were marked as a party leader; either this was all coincidence, things had really changed, or more likely, the dual bladed woman was the party leader.  Though in truth, Fang wasn’t sure how to deal with a _Hit Squad_ at all. 

She turned to look at the Glaive wielder as she moved closer to her again.  “Are you hungry?”  She moved part of her upper sari which hung over her hip, revealing a small pouch, from which she produced some dried meat.

Fang’s eyes darted between her and Longsword, who hadn’t moved.  ‘Is this a test?’  She wasn’t sure.  She wasn’t sure what protocol would be in such a situation.  She didn’t react to the question; her hesitation apparent. 

Movement at the mouth of the cave brought Dual Blades back into view.  She was definitely the squad leader.  The darkened mark of permanent ink over her left eye told Fang she wasn’t just a party leader, she was a full blown Battle Maiden.  As she walked toward her, she pulled Fang’s lance from where it had been resting against the cave wall.  She twisted it and the blades unfolded and snapped into place.

Fang tensed as she swung one end toward her, but she just held it there.  “Oerba Yun Fang.”  Fang met her eyes, just as black as her hair.  The woman nodded and Fang reached out to take her lance with resolve.  The woman held her grip on it and used it to help Fang stand before letting go.  It was a sign of trust.  To give one their weapon back was one stage, but to let them stand was another.  Fang understood.  It was the old way; which only raised more questions.

She followed Dual Blade’s example and sat once again, folding her lance’s blades into their passive position before setting it to her side. “Who are you?”

“Artemi Yun Daya.”  She motioned to each party member in turn, first, Longsword, “Yun Cobalt.”  The mohawked girl just nodded as she continued to watch her.  Then Scimitar, “Yun Kiira.” She smiled at her as she continued to clean her blade.  Brawler, “Yun Sarya.”  The way she said it, Fang almost thought she said Serah.  She had to stop herself from chuckling; this woman was nothing like Little Farron-Villiers.  She pointed to the archer, who was still intently watching outside, “Nih Amara.”  A Nih?  On a hit squad?  Interesting indeed.

Fang looked to the glaive wielder.  She didn’t seem to be part of the squad, and Daya didn’t bother to introduce her.  The elder woman smiled, once again holding out the dried meats.  “And I am Artemi Yun Ava.”

“Ava,” Fang repeated, thinking; it was a familiar name but she couldn’t quite place it.  The woman nodded as if nothing was wrong and leaned toward her a little, once again offering the meats.  Obviously, she wasn’t going to take no for an answer, so Fang slowly took a few pieces from her hand.  She sniffed them; nothing seemed off.  She tentatively touched one with her tongue; still nothing seemed amiss. 

Ava chuckled.  “They’re not poisoned child.  You need your strength to make it back.”

Fang settled and tore a piece in half with her teeth, chewing slowly as she watched the other warriors settle in for water and a snack as well.

“You fought well back there, despite your physical deficiency.”  Snickers sounded from a few of the others, but Daya silenced them with a look.  “You should know better than to allow yourself to get that far.”  She held out a water skin, and Fang took it graciously. 

“Normally I would.”  She stated before taking a drink.

“I understand the emotion involved in finding nothing but ruins.  You must have come a long way.. and to get this far and find nothing would be disheartening.”

Fang nodded, taking another sip before handing the skin back to her.

“Rest assured.. there are more ruins to be found, but they won’t be quite as disheartening.”  She grinned a bit at Fang’s confused look, but it was Ava who answered.

“The clan survives.”


	4. Chapter 4

****

It was odd for Lightning to call so late at night.  It was even odder for her to show up on her doorstep, especially in the pouring rain.  Clearly something had bothered- no, _spooked_ her. 

Vanille watched her as she sat at her dining room table with her, a towel wrapped around the soldier’s shoulders as she tried not to shiver.  She waited, knowing Light had to compose herself before she would speak.  Her husband set some mugs of hot cocoa down before each of them.  It was a show of support, though he seemed to understand that he wasn’t going to be a part of the conversation.  He gave Vanille a goodnight kiss on the forehead before excusing himself, as he had work in the morning.

It was nearly five minutes after he left before Lightning looked up from the floor.  “I had.. a dream.”  She shook her head immediately, not even giving Vanille time to really process the statement.  “No.. it wasn’t a dream.  It was..  I don’t know.  Something is wrong.”

Ice started to coat Vanille’s heart.  The only thing that would shake Light this much was something effecting Serah or Fang.  And if it was Serah, Light would not have come to her.   “What do you mean?”  Her hand was shaking as she set her mug back down on the table.

Lightning stood, still clutching the towel around her shoulders.  She paced, no longer trying to suppress her shivers.  She was _really_ upset.  “I can’t even remember what I saw in the dream.. But I remember what I felt.”  She stilled, looking down at her hands.  “Weak.  Hurt.  Angry..”  She turned to face Vanille, looking more lost than the younger girl had ever seen her.  “Confused?”  Vanille inclined her head, thinking.  “Anxious?”

“Why do you think this has anything to do with Fang?”

“I don’t know.. I can’t even explain it.”  She spread her hands, looking helpless.  “I just know.  Somehow..  I _know_.”

Vanille nodded.  She believed her, but she wasn’t sure what to do about it.  She remained silent.

“Vanille.”  She looked to Light again.  “I need to know _everything_ you know or even suspect about the Yun Clan.”

“But I told you every-“

Light cut her off, placing her hands on the table.  “Everything Vanille.  Like the things you told Serah before.  Or were they lies?  Trying to tip the situation in Fang’s favor?”

“What?  No!”  Lying had become a touchy subject with Vanille.  Everyone knew she had lied a lot since they had all met, but since awakening from her second crystal sleep she had tried very hard to break the habit.  She’d even made a promise to Fang that she wouldn’t lie anymore and Light knew Fang took promises very, _very_ seriously, and would certainly punish the girl in some way if she was caught.  But she wasn’t worried about that, since she hadn’t lied. 

She sighed and looked down at her cocoa.   “What I told Serah was true.”

“Why didn’t you tell me?”  She asked as she sat down, wrapping her cold hands around the mug for warmth.

“Fang..  asked me not to.  I shouldn’t have told Serah..”  She wrung her hands together nervously.  “But.. she never made me promise not to tell her.. she just made me promise not to tell you.”

“So you told Serah, knowing she’d tell me at some point.”  Vanille nodded.  “I need to know.  Serah only said it in passing, I need to know more.”

“Why?”

“Because I need to understand her.  I’m going to go find her.”

“It’s a hunt.  Know your prey..”  Light nodded and Vanille sighed in turn.  “Fang used to say that when she’d get to close to beasts when she was little.  It was always her excuse.  I didn’t really understand until she actually started hunting.”  Light listened, as this was information that allowed her to know Fang better.  Every little bit would help in the end.  “When she went out with the hunt party for the first time, she was twelve, she was only supposed to observe.”  Vanille chuckled, “She brought home a kill that night.  Delta scolded her for disobeying, but I knew she was proud of her.”

“Tell me about Delta.”

“Delta was the Elder Hunter in Oerba.”  Light nodded, she already knew that from earlier conversations.  “Not the oldest..  ‘Elder’ just meant the best.  She organized and led the hunts that kept the people of Oerba fed.  She was the only other Yun in the village, so she mentored Fang.  They were pretty close; she might have seen Fang as family..  Maybe even like a daughter.  So she.. told me things.  Things about the Yun clan.”

“Why?  It was all a big secret right?  So why tell you anything?”

Vanille sipped her cocoa, thinking on just that.  “I think..  I think she was trying to protect Fang.”  Lightning narrowed her eyes, a show that she was trying to see the connection.  “Since there were so many secrets.. Yun weren’t.. known all that well.  I mean.. it was unheard of to see a Yun under the age of 16.  Their ways are so..”  She fished for a fitting word, and finally half shrugged and settled on, “Different.”

“Different how?”

“Well.  I don’t know much.. but I will tell you what I know..”  She looked uncertain, and Light knew she was wondering what would happen when Fang found out she broke her promise.

“This is important Vanille.  I’ll talk to Fang, she’ll understand.”

The redhead nodded.  “Well, I guess the most noticeable difference is that all Yun are female.  The entire clan is female.”  Vanille stopped, looking thoughtful, then changed her approach.  “I should say, Delta told me all of this shortly after Fang and I had a big fight.”

“A fight over what?”  She asked curiously.

“Well..”  Vanille’s cheeks colored to a rosy hue.  “Fang got.. agitated at how flirty I was with some of the guys in the village.  I was sixteen.  Fang and I had been like sisters since I was five, and I thought she was being a little too over protective..  Delta, thought it might have been something else.  So she took me aside and explained some things to me.  She wanted me to understand what was going on.  Or what she thought might have been going on I guess.”  Light nodded and finally sipped her cocoa, waiting for her to continue.  “Well, All Yun are female.. and just as I told Serah, same sex relationships are pretty much the norm for them, according to Delta.  But it’s not really the same..  They don’t.. marry exactly.  They call it bonding?  I’m not sure what the difference is.. But Delta said that basically they can get extremely attached to their partner.”

“She thought Fang was falling for you.”  Light was starting to put some things together.  Vanille nodded.  “But you apparently didn’t reciprocate.”

She shook her head.  “At one point I thought I might, but I never said anything because it was awkward and I was afraid she’d leave.  Fang was more like a big sister to me.  Yeah, she was always scaring off guys I wanted to date, but I always figured she was being the big sister and looking out for me.. even if it was a little more than I liked at the time.”  She smiled thoughtfully, “Like you are with Serah.”

Well, Light could certainly understand that.  She nodded again before sipping her cocoa.

Vanille was silent as she thought, unsure how to bring up the next point, as she wasn’t even sure Fang knew it.  “I guess..  Fang’s mom knew Delta.. which is actually why she came to Oerba in the first place.  There were no Yun in the village before Fang’s mother.. but when she came to Oerba.. she was.. ah..” she looked a little nervous about speaking of the dead, “ _assaulted_..  by a group from a rival clan.”  The way she said it made it clear it was more than a simple attack.

“But she was a fighter.”

“Yeah..  but she didn’t fight back according to Delta.  I’m not sure what happened exactly, she didn’t really say.  She just said she was sent to Oerba to make sure everything was ok, take her back to the Yun village if need be.  But she nearly died in the attack.  Delta stayed to help nurse her back to health, only to find out she was pregnant.”

“And that was bad.”  Light mused to herself.

“Yeah.  Apparently, her injuries were pretty bad.. and she was having a lot of trouble healing while supporting a baby too.”  She shook her head, “But she refused to end the pregnancy.”

“And since no one ever saw Yun children.. it’s safe to assume they normally didn’t happen outside their village.” 

Vanille nodded.  “But she wasn’t strong enough to travel across the Steppe, let alone the mountains.  So Delta stayed with her.”

“Why did Fang’s mother come to Oerba in the first place?”

“I dunno.  Probably because there weren’t any there.. and things were heating up with Cocoon.  Maybe she was assigned there to protect it?” Light nodded and allowed her to continue.  “So Delta stayed and worked in the village while trying to help her.  But it didn’t matter I guess..  She died in childbirth.”

They both lapsed into silence, a small honor for a woman they didn’t even know, passed on long before.

After a few moments, Vanille spoke again.  “An infant can’t cross the mountains.. so Fang had to stay in the village.  Delta said it made her somewhat of an outcast among the Clan.. I guess that was why she opted to stay even after Fang’s mother’s death.. she wanted to train her, make her accepted.”

“Was she?”

Vanille shrugged sadly.  “I really don’t know.  I never went to the Yun village with her.  But I know every two years, Delta took her there, and they tested her.  Fang would often be upset when she returned to Oerba.  The first two times, she cried.  After that..”  She shook her head again, “After that, it was rare to see her cry.  And after the attack by Cocoon..  she never cried again.  Not that I ever saw.”  She tilted her head, gazing at Light thoughtfully.  “She was kinda like you used to be I guess.  She seemed cold to everyone, stoic; angry.”

“Why?”  There had to be a reason for the change, just as Light had a reason for hers.

“The war..  It changed a lot of people.  Fang was sixteen when they attacked.  I think it was the first time she killed something outside of a hunt; definitely the first time she killed another person.”

“She hardened herself.”

Another nod, “I think she’d already started to, with her trips to the Yun village.  But I think that really pushed her over the edge.”  She sipped her cocoa, thinking on what else needed to be said.  “When she turned eighteen, she went through a solo hunt.. well, everyone in the village had to prove themselves an adult; either by hunting, or simply surviving alone in the wild.  Most opted to hunt something.. it was usually the faster test.  Fang was required to hunt, since she had to appease the Yun just as much as the village Elders.  So she actually went out and brought down a Behemoth.  As a reward for success, they sent her with a squad to protect a group of trade wagons bound for another village.  I got to go too, but I was supposed to be assisting Zil Naya, who was basically the elder diplomat.  She would make sure Oerba got their half from the trade.”

“Why would it need protection?”

“Bandits, Cocoon soldiers.. beast attacks.  There wasn’t any shortage of reasons.”  Light nodded, again looking thoughtful.  “Unfortunately.. there was no way they could be prepared for what actually happened..”  Vanille swallowed, the episode still setting fear upon her.  “A.. Fal’cie came and just..  took everything.  Fang was scouting ahead.. and since no one suspected anything was going to happen, I went along.  We were.. right on the edge of it all.”  She shook her head, tears in her eyes as her voice shook.  “Everything was just.. gone.  The river we were following, the trees.. everything.  The land was stripped down to bedrock.”  She was staring off at a point over Light’s shoulder but she was certain she wasn’t seeing anything but the past.  “The wagons.. everyone was just gone.”*

Light moved to kneel next to Vanille and hugged her, trying to ground her in the present and reassure her.  She knew she was referring to one of the so-called ‘plunderings’.  She couldn’t even imagine what kind of messed up she would have been to witness something like that and somehow _survive_ when so many others didn’t.  She held her as she cried, whispering softly that it was ok, rubbing her back soothingly, the same way she always had done for Serah when she was upset. 

Vanille’s husband poked his head in the room, no doubt he had heard his wife crying.  He shared a look with Lightning as he set a box of tissues on the table.  With a nod, he conveyed that he would leave it to her and once again disappeared off down the hall.  Light was grateful for his understanding.

Slowly, Vanille calmed down and wiped her eyes with a tissue.  “I was.. afraid.”  She shook her head, “Fang..  Fang was just angry.  She was angry at everything back then.”  She sniffled, dabbing at her eyes a little more.  “She didn’t tell me until later, but I think it was then that she decided she was going to end the war somehow.”

“That’s why she went to Anima.”

Vanille nodded, still sniffling a bit.  “She didn’t actually go then..  she decided she had to be stronger, so she trained even more.  She distanced herself from me as much as I would let her; training as much as Delta would allow.  They often argued about it.  Delta didn’t want her to get carried away, but Fang always argued that she was an adult and could do as she pleased.  After she turned twenty-one, she decided it was time.  When she told me she was going to Anima, I argued; I pleaded.  But she wouldn’t change her mind..  So I went with her.”

“So what happened?  You weren’t meant to be l’cie?”

“No.. I was just trying to support her since she wouldn’t change her mind..  We got through all the doors, and I thought that was it.. but she..  Well, she attacked Anima, and the priests.  I didn’t expect it..  There was no way I could stop her.”  She sniffled again, her tears returning.  “They..  they would have killed her for the trespass.  But I..  I made a deal; offered myself to Anima with her.  I don’t know why Anima accepted the offer.. but we were both branded.”  She lapsed into silence again, sniffling away as Light rubbed her back, thinking on what she had said.

“Twenty-one. Hmm.  So you weren’t l’cie long.”

She shook her head with a sniffle.  “You saw how fast everyone’s brands progressed.  L’cie never got much time.. a few weeks at most.  And there was so much that sped them up; emotional stress, shock, ignoring your focus entirely.”

Light nodded, not really wanting to push her into speaking on that much.  She knew it wasn’t something she was comfortable speaking about and since Fang couldn’t remember it, it wasn’t actually important enough to her at that moment to ask.  Fang should be the first to ask about it, when she was ready to know what happened.  For the moment, she’d gotten the information she needed.

 

 

 

The next two weeks were back to hard training for Light, Nyx constantly at her side.  The cat had nearly tripled in size since Fang had left.  Canthors seemed to be the opposite of Chocobos, which grew smaller in captivity and larger in the wild.  The muscle the feline had packed on was astounding.  The Zoologists on staff were fascinated by her; by the differences between her and her wild counterparts.  It was amazing how mental and physical training worked together to make the canthor twice as fast and twice as strong as a wild version.  Since Nyx had been born wild, they knew it was not a genetic thing; genetically she didn’t differ from her mother any more than expected.  It was the simple _stimulation_ from humans, the companionship and bond between her and Light that had moved the feline to better herself. 

Light too, had pushed to better herself.  No longer able to rely on l’cie powers, she pushed herself harder.  Before she had been l’cie, she considered herself good.  The Corps had considered her elite, as signified by the granting of the BlazeFire, which only the best were given.  But as a l’cie, things had been different; more difficult, yet at the same time, easier.  The easy access to healing powers had definitely spoiled her.  And now, without Fal’cie magic in the world, even potions didn’t seem to work anymore, though the connections between the two were still unclear. 

Vanille had taught her some of the old remedies, herbalist cures, balms, antibiotics and had given her a rundown of the most useful plants of Gran Pulse.  Still, those methods were not nearly as fast or potent as potions had been.  Live and learn; learn and adapt; adapt and _survive_.

Light had realized without the powers that had spoiled her, she needed to be faster, she needed to build stamina.  Gran Pulse was nothing like Cocoon had been, she hadn’t needed the speed and stamina quite as much there.  But unlike Fang, she didn’t have ungodly strength packed into a human form.  Speed was her greatest asset and she had to basically build herself around it.

Training followed her home, took her on trips out to the steppe to allow Nyx true experience with the beasts of Gran Pulse and even haunted her sleep.  Fitful sleep would disrupt her training, but wouldn’t deter her.  She was setting herself up for a mission, and the entire family easily caught on.

Serah of course was still uneasy about it all, but did her best to support her.  Snow offered to spar with her now and again, usually once his bruises healed from the last time.  He was better than he had been as well.  Light knew he’d been training a lot himself, taking into consideration the hazardous types of missions NORA was often sent on.  Their small sparring matches actually made her more comfortable with him; more than she ever had been.  For once, she felt they had something they could connect on aside from Serah.

The rest of the family offered what little help they could, even if it was only words of support of encouragement.  Light was grateful to each of them.  She knew that behind the smiles and well wishes they were hurting again; hurting with the idea of losing another.

She couldn’t do anything more to assure them that both she and Fang would return, so she didn’t offer those words.  She simply kept at her training.  It was the best she could do.


	5. Chapter 5

****

When Fang had arrived at Artemi Village with Ava, Daya and her squad, she’d been overtaken by a wave of sadness and the need to get away.  So she did.  She ran from them.  Daya had called out to her, but she hadn’t heard her.  Ava had stopped the squad from following her.  There wasn’t anywhere for Fang to run really.  She had to recover before she could go out into the mountains again, and Ava knew she wasn’t stupid enough to try it before then.  So she’d let her go.  She knew exactly where she’d run anyhow.

Fang had run through the ruins of the once grand village.  Really, it was more of a city.  Once upon a time, it had housed several thousand women at any given time.  She could see that repairs were being made; the temple had scaffolding around it, rope and pulley systems set up to heft the heavy marble and granite pieces back into place.  Fang could only imagine what it had taken to bring so much of it down.  Earthquakes, and strong ones at that.  Without the Daughters of Yun and those pledged to them around to correct the damage of quakes, the city had simply fallen apart.

Some of the line houses had been rebuilt.  Many had not.  She ran for the only one she’d really known, only to find it hadn’t been repaired.  It was miraculously still standing to some degree, but the roof had caved in and giant cracks had laid claim over the stone walls, pieces of which had collapsed.  It probably wasn’t safe to go in, but she had anyhow.  It was her only solace, even in its crumbling husk.  The once proud home of her line, the home of her mother, and her mother’s mother, for more generations than she could count; destroyed.

She’d stayed there, unsure what to do or where to go.  She hadn’t yet worked up the courage to move throughout the city.  How long had it been?  A week perhaps.  She hadn’t slept well in that time, had barely eaten.  She would sleep fitfully, only to wake to small meals of dried fruits and meats left for her along with clean water.  She wasn’t sure who had left them though.. she hadn’t seen or spoken to anyone since she’d settled there.

“Are you hiding?”

The voice pulled Fang from her misery, and she looked to the door way to see a young girl of maybe seven or eight.  Her hair was black and her face and clothes were dusty as if she’d been crawling around the ruins.  She wore a simple, light canvas version of a sari, the same most of the young girls would wear when not training.  She was staring at her quizzically, as if she hadn’t expected to find anyone here.

“Do you.. play here?”  Fang asked slowly.

The girl shook her head.  “No.  That would be disrespectful.  Do you?”

Fang blinked at the question.  “I.. no.  This is- _was_ ,” she corrected, “the home of my line.”

The girl nodded and ventured to move closer to her.  “It’s like mine.”

She frowned.  This little girl was so.. unusual.  “What do you mean?”

“No one repaired it.”  She shrugged.  “I can’t.  Not yet.  Everyone else is busy with their own, so the ones without anyone to help them stay like this.”

“Seems to be a lot of them.”  She ventured, reaching for the meager meal that had again been left for her.

The girl watched her in a peculiar, passive way.  “You’re the one they brought in from outside.”  She thought a moment, “Fang.”

She looked to the girl.  “I’m afraid you have me at a disadvantage then.”  Her eyes narrowed, wondering how many people knew she was there, hiding like a coward.

The girl looked confused, but after a moment figured out what she meant.  “Artemi Yun Veda.”

“How old are you Veda?”

She blinked passively at her.  “Seven.”

She seemed pretty sharp for a seven year old.  “Where is the rest of your caste?”  Now the girls eyes narrowed, though Fang couldn’t quite tell the emotion behind it, a mix of confusion and agitation perhaps?  “The other girls your age?”  She asked, to clarify.

“I know what a caste is.”  She stated with minor agitation.  “I’m the only one.”

Fang was openly shocked.  The only one?  A caste should consist of more than a hundred girls.  What had happened?  Then again, she wasn’t really sure how there were any young girls at all, she couldn’t recall seeing any males when she’d run through the ruined streets.   She hadn’t thought about it at the time, as that was normal for Artemi.. but now it was.. odd.  Just as odd as the city being so crumbled in the first place.  But she’d assumed they had left and only recently returned, now, she wondered if that was an incorrect assumption.

Veda ignored her look, or perhaps hadn’t really caught onto it.  “You shouldn’t hide.  Why are you afraid?”

“Who said I was afraid?”  Veda tilted her head and gave her a look that was oddly familiar to her, but the girl didn’t comment.  “I’m not afraid.. I’m just..”

“You feel guilty.”

She shot a look at her.  How in the world would this girl know such things?  “Where is your mother?”  She asked, trying to redirect the uncomfortable conversation.  Veda looked at her, returning to her passive expression.  “You said your line house wasn’t repaired, so what happened to her?”

“She was killed in the Creation.”

“Creation?”  She wasn’t sure what that referred to.

“Ragnarok.”  The girl didn’t wait for further questions; she simply turned and ran, without looking back.  Fang’s confusion only grew.

 

 

 

The next time when she awoke, she opened her eyes to see Ava kneeling before her, leaning on her glaive for support.  “You’ve been bringing me food.”  She stated as she sat up, rubbing her face tiredly.

“Of course.”

“Thank you.”  She sighed, though it didn’t really sound like she was all that grateful.

“You shouldn’t let the words of a small girl upset you so.”  The older woman stated as she unrolled a large waxleaf and laid it between them.  Fang hesitated but plucked a small bit of dried meat from the leaf. 

“I don’t understand what’s going on here.  Did I..  kill her mother?  How?  There was no way she could have been on Cocoon-“

Ava shook her head, cutting her off the thought.  “Veda is the daughter of Leto.”  Ava looked at her solemnly, knowing how this news would affect the young warrior.

Now Fang was really shocked and confused.  “Leto..  Leto would have died long ago..”  She shook her head.  It didn’t make any sense!

“Leto was your caste mate.”  Fang didn’t reply as she looked down at her hands, once again falling into the pit of guilt for what she had done.  Ava placed a hand on her knee in comfort.  “Do not regret what you had to do.  Artemi provided for us all.”

“How?”

“She encased the entire clan and those who were pledged; all those her power could envelop, in crystal.”  She spread her hands in a sort of helpless manner.  “At the cost of herself.”

“Crystal sleep?”  She shook her head again, “How is that possible?”

“Perhaps she made a plea to Etro.  We are unsure of the action.. we only know the result.”  She let that sink in a moment, allowing Fang the time to process before she continued.  “We watched Ragnarok assault the Vipers’ Nest.  We watched Ragnarok fall from the sky and disappear.  Our hearts barely had time to sink before the crystal took us.  When we awoke, the village was in ruins around us.  We dug ourselves out only to find the valley was no longer under the protection of Artemi or Bahamut.”

“Bahamut was gone.  _Is_ gone.”

Ava nodded slowly.  “We are aware the Fal’cie took him, as well as the other Protectors.”  She reached out and lifted Fang’s left arm, still branded by the blackened mark.  “But you are still connected to him, hmm?”

“No.  Bahamut and Hecatoncheir lent their power to Ragnarok. Whatever happened to the other Eidolons without their jailors..  I don’t know.  I assume they’re gone.”

“One should never assume.  Have you forgotten your lessons?”

Fang sighed irritably.  “I don’t see any evidence to prove otherwise.”  Ava did not reply, so Fang retro’d the conversation a little.  “So.  If Veda is Leto’s daughter and she’s seven..  and you were all frozen when I failed..”  She thought it over in her head, “That means you’ve been awake for the last six years?”  Ava nodded.  “So why are you all still huddled up here?  If the valley isn’t protected anymore-“

“This is our home.”  Ava stated softly.  Fang was quiet, feeling guilty for even asking.  “We have taken the time to rebuild.  The Seers said the Dragon would return and usher us into the world.”  She smiled and spread her hands, “And here you are.”

“I am not the Dragon.”

“But you are.  Bahamut marked you, and you know that makes you his chosen.”

She sighed in frustration, resting her head back against the wall.  “How can I be?  I’m not even accepted among the clan.”

“What makes you say that?”

Anger flashed in her eyes as she shot the older woman a look.  “They tried to take my name.  They wanted to revoke my clan status.  Bahamut’s mark is the _only_ reason they didn’t.”

Ava was unfazed by her anger.  “The elders were worried you would not understand the clan ways, growing up outside them as you had.  They _did_ want to revoke your status.. however it is not for the reasons you believe.”

“Really.”  She was unconvinced.

“They wanted what was best for you.  A daughter of one of the oldest lines.. it destroyed the hearts of many to think they had to let you go.  But they felt it was better for you.  Better for you to fit into the life you had been forced to live, rather than the one you should have lived.”  Ava smiled, settling into a more comfortable position on the dusty, rubble covered floor.  “But you tested so well.  You had many in your corner; Delta and Leto..  They may have pushed you, and you may have felt you were treated unfairly..  but they wanted you to push yourself.  They wanted you to prove to the elders that you _were_ Yun, and every bit worthy of the name.”

“I used to hate Leto.”  She pulled her knees up and rested her forehead on them.  “I hated her for riding my ass about everything.  Pushing me harder than anyone else in the caste.”

“She saw you as you were.. a bond sister.  As the caste lead, it was her job to make sure you were all training as hard as you should.  She couldn’t do that with you.  She had to trust her mother to help during the times you were not in the village.  But that meant she had to work twice as hard when you were.”

“Bond sister?”  She looked up, sadness across her features.  “Then.. Delta.. was my bond mother?” 

Ava nodded slowly.  “I know that she never told you.  She was told it was for the best that you not know.  You survived your mother..  they didn’t want her to say anything that would make you focus on her.”

“And now I’m not the only one..  Veda had to survive her mother as an infant too..”  She frowned.  “Why was Leto in Oerba anyhow?”

“When you left, Delta requested help.  The war was pressing down on Oerba again..  The elders there had been speaking of abandoning it entirely.  But Delta refused to give up.  Unfortunately, we were spread far too thin as it was.  Our numbers were severely reduced.  Leto had just given birth, but pushed herself to return to duty.”

“So she went to Oerba to help her mother..  and then I stupidly returned just to destroy it all.”

“Why do you feel it was stupid?”

“Cocoon attacked.  Vanille and I felt the need to go and do something about it.  We were l’cie.. we figured the power would be of some help.  But we got there too late.  It was a massacre.. but a few were still holding on.  I wanted to help.”  Her eyes narrowed.  How come she could remember this now? 

Ava noticed the pause.  “What is it?”

“I.. couldn’t remember any of this.  I couldn’t remember anything after going to Anima.  And now.. it’s like it was right there.”

“Perhaps you are simply ready to face your fears.”

She shook her head, tears slipping down her cheeks.  “I killed them all.  I lost control, fell into a rage.”   Ava moved to settle next to her and Fang fell into her embrace as she broke down.

Half a world away, Lightning sat up in her bed, her body shaking with uncontrolled sobs.  She wasn’t even sure what brought on the overwhelming sorrow.  She clung to Nyx as the cat tried to comfort her as she cried.

 

 

 

After a few days, Fang had ventured out of her rabbit hole to explore the remains of the city.  She was amazed at the apparent speed of reconstruction.  Since everything had to be done through manual labor, she hadn’t been surprised that the buildings that were deemed unnecessary had been left in their crumbled state while focus was out one those that were needed. 

The hot spring-fed bath house was mostly intact, though some of the frontal pillars and statues still lie in ruin around it.  The Council building wasn’t as she remembered it, it had the same problem the bath house did, pillars and statues were crumbled.  Apparently they had placed emphasis on making buildings useable once again, and would fill in those aesthetics later.  That made sense.

Many of the line homes still lie in rubble, attesting to how many had not survived until Artemi had crystallized the clan.  It was rather surreal to see one every so often that had been repaired and stood looking almost as it had five hundred years before, save for the ruins around it.

The group homes had been restored, as they would be needed to house the young girls who were not yet old enough to move to their line homes.  She watched some girls playing a game in the greenery around one of the group homes.  It struck her that if Veda was the only survivor of her caste, that would make her the youngest girl in the entire city, since her caste would have been the last born before crystal stasis.  She felt sad for her.  She probably felt just as outcast as Fang had when she was little.  She was also aware the girl probably hated her.  It seemed common knowledge that Fang housed Ragnarok, and she had no reason to believe the girl hadn’t known it when she had spoken to her.  She made a resolution to try and speak to her again.  For now, she was looking for someone else.

The Temple was going to take years to restore, but Fang was amazed at how much of the inside was usable already.  The outside of was normally shrouded with beautifully craved marble and granite, most of which was still rubble from where quakes had shaken it loose, but the inside had been directly carved into the mountain over thousands of years of hard labor.  Apparently, much of it had been strong enough to withstand the quakes.  She wondered if Etro had made the small concession to protect it, if nothing else.  Perhaps to give them hope when they awoke?  Or maybe Artemi had tried to cover it with her power as well, though that seemed unlikely.

She entered the main hall only to be greeted by the remains of her own caste.  Ava sat off to the side, a smile on her lips.  The caste greeted her as a sister returning home triumphantly after a battle.  She wasn’t sure what to make of it, she’d never really known her caste mates all that well.

The next hour had gone by in a whirlwind of stories.  She was amazed at how they treated her as one of them; like they never had before.  It was eerie to her and she still felt like she was outside the group.  They finally left, taking their leave to attend to their duties.  She moved toward Ava, who hadn’t moved throughout the entire reunion.

“You are uncomfortable with them.”  She observed, tapping her ever-present glaive on the stone floor.

“Of course I am.  I was the outcast before..  to have them suddenly accept me-“

“Five hundred years is sudden?”  She mused with a smile. 

Fang smirked.  “Right, because we were all awake for the _entire_ time.  It’s only been a few years.”

“You have proven yourself the best of the caste.  They wish to treat you as such.”

“I’m not.  I’m not better than them.  I was desperate-“

Ava shook her head, holding up a hand to silence her.  “You should not count yourself as weak, or feel guilty for what you did.  You only did what we were all afraid to do.”  Fang’s eyes narrowed neither understanding nor believing her.  She crossed her arms over her chest and awaited an explanation.

Ava looked up toward the ceiling of the hall, where a faded mural told a story.  It was ancient, and looked every bit its age these days.  The story it told was not what she wanted to explain, but thinking of it helped give her the resolve to deal with the deluge of questions she knew was going to come in the days to come.  “I was thinking on what you said the other day, about forgetting so much.  It struck me that you perhaps do not understand your ancestry as well as we once thought.”

Fang looked confused.  “What does that have to do with anything?”

“Do you understand the urges that drive you?  Do you understand why we train from such a young age?”  At her blank look, Ava shook her head.  “No?  Delta never explained it to you.”  Fang shook her head just enough for Ava to perceive it, as she sat down next to her.  “Hmm.  How to explain..?”

She turned the glaive in her hands, watching the light reflect off the carvings in the blade. ‘Artemi give me strength..”

 

 

 

“You’re hiding again.”

She turned when she heard the voice, only to see the young girl hop down off a caved in slab of the wall.  “I’m not hiding Veda.  If I was hiding, you wouldn’t find me.”

“Pfft.  You’re not hiding from me.  You’re hiding from _them_.  Maybe trying to hide from yourself.” 

The girl seemed like a little know it all, but the tone she spoke in detracted from that image.  She wasn’t talking down to her, she was just trying to talk _to_ her.  Still, Fang was a little agitated by it and put her hands on her hips.  “What would you know about it?”

She shrugged and found a relatively clean spot to sit.  “I hide too sometimes.”

Fang wasn’t really sure how to respond to that, so she continued moving some of the rubble as she thought over what the girl might mean.

“Are you cleaning?”  Veda asked curiously.

“Tryin’ to.”

“Why?”

Fang paused.  Why was she cleaning?  There was no way she could repair the dwelling on her own, and she had no plans of staying long enough to make it worth the effort.  So why?  Respect for ancestors she’d never known?  “I dunno.  It keeps me busy.”  She wondered if she should offer to help Veda with her line house, since she actually lived in the city and would need it in the future.  Then again, who knew what the future held for the Clan.  Certainly they couldn’t remain camped up here among the ruins of the past.

“That’s stupid.”

She whirled around, half angry.  “What would you have me do then?”

Veda shrugged.  “Ava told you things.  Don’t you understand?”  She gave her a look.  She’d grown up knowing the things Fang had just learned.  It was hard for her to understand that Fang was having trouble putting it all together.  It was so _easy_ to her, and she was only seven!

“I’m not sure what to think of all the things she told me.”  They fell into a silence, Veda watching as Fang went back to moving the broken remains of the home into piles.

Finally, Veda spoke again, “What’s it like?”

Fang cast her a glance over her shoulder as she lifted a larger piece of the crumbled wall and piled it onto another, even larger piece.  “What’s what like?”

“Out there.”  Veda looked out the hole in the wall wistfully, toward the south.  “You didn’t grow up here.  It’s different out there right?”

With a sigh, fang dusted herself off and settled back to lean on the broken slabs, piled up like a small tower of flat stones.  “Yeah, it’s pretty different.”  She shook her head.  “There’s so much that’s different.. I wouldn’t even know where to start.”

“There’s boys out there, yeah?  Are they as mean as the older girls say?”

Fang chuckled.  That had been one of the first things her caste mates had enquired about when she’d first come to the village.  “Some are.  Some are sweet.”  Veda didn’t look like she believed her.  “It’s true.  Some of them are downright tolerable.”  She smirked in good humor, but Veda didn’t seem to get it, but she didn’t comment either, so again silence came between them.

And again, it was Veda who broke it.  “We’re gonna die up here, aren’t we.”  It wasn’t so much a question as a statement.

Fang was taken aback.  A seven years old, even a Yun, should not be aware of such things.  The girl was a bit too smart for her own good.  “Why would you think that?”

“I listen.  Some of the older castes talk about how things have changed since everyone woke up.  They talk about uncertainty and how the elders and mentors are arguing a lot.  Training isn’t going like it used to.”  She paused, screwing up her face a bit as if she’d tasted something bad.  “They don’t think I hear them, but most the time people don’t notice me anyway.”

Her heart went out to her.  The poor kid was being forced to grow up faster than she should have.  Fang moved to sit next to her and slowly put her arm around her shoulders.  She was worried her help would be rejected, but was mildly surprised when Veda leaned into the embrace.  “You shouldn’t have to worry about all that.  You should leave that to the adults.”

“They don’t know what they’re doing, why should I trust them?” 

Fang had no answer to that.  “Do you trust me?”

She shrugged, but didn’t pull free of Fang’s arms.  “I dunno.”  She didn’t really have reason to.  After all, Fang had been the direct cause of her mother’s _and_ grandmother’s deaths.  On the other hand, she was the closest thing she had to living family.

Fang apparently had the same thought as she rested her chin on Veda’s head and gently tightened her embrace.  “I’m sorry,” she whispered, tears already forming in her eyes.  She felt responsible for this little girl’s loss and sorrow.


	6. Chapter 6

 

Once again, Light found herself sitting before the keys.  She couldn’t sleep; she was still troubled by the strange waves of sadness that hit her as such odd times.  She wasn’t sure what her problem was, but she’d been spooked enough to talk to a physician.  Nothing was wrong with her physically.  She wasn’t sure what to make of it.

So here she was, sitting before the piano in the middle of the night, tapping at the keys in a melody she had never heard before.  It was an outpouring of what she felt.  It was a somewhat slow, melancholy sound.

She could feel some of the tension drain from her muscles as she tapped at the keys.  It was a nice release, but she wished she could just fall into Fang’s embrace and let her comfort her.  She blushed lightly at the thought, the music taking a bit of a better turn as she thought about her.

It was strange to her really, thinking about her in such ways.  They’d never cuddled before.  Fang had held her in her sorrows, as she had for Fang, but it had been as friends.  She wondered how different it would be now.

Her blush deepened as she recalled the kissing incident.  She’d come to admit she had been _extremely_ turned on when Fang had kissed her; had wanted to feel her hands on her skin.  She regretted punching her, even if it was out of reflex.  Fang hadn’t done anything she hadn’t invited her to do.  She’d certainly hesitated enough that she’d had plenty of time to say no. 

Her mind wandered as the music mostly drifted into random pressings of just a few keys.

She wondered how it would feel to make love with her.  Would she even be able?  She was afraid of freezing up, being unable to give Fang what she deserved.  How would it feel to sleep curled up in her arms?  How would it feel to hold her as she slept?  To wake and observe her sleeping?

She’d seen Fang sleeping plenty of times while they were finding their way through Gran Pulse as l’cie.  She’d always marveled at how peaceful she looked asleep.  Vanille told her Fang had bad dreams borne of guilt and anxiety; but Light had always been on guard duty in those times and never witnessed it.  She’d always seemed fine when she saw her.

She stopped poking at the keys and turned to observe the suspended crystal of Cocoon.  She wondered how she was doing.  Was she lonely?  More importantly, was she safe?  Lonely could be fixed.. death could not.  No, somehow she knew she was alive and well.

“Mrew?”  Light smiled and hugged the large feline to her.  As she’d gotten bigger and more muscled, her meow had grown deeper as well; her roar put fear into the hearts of the privates of the Oerba post.

“Soon Nyx.  Soon we’ll go find her; you and me.”  Nyx purred happily at the answer and nuzzled her face.

 

 

 

“Legends say you can’t find the Yun village unless you’ve been there before.”  Vanille stated softly as she watched Light clean her gunblade.  Nyx was lounging on the couch next to her, with her head resting on Vanille’s thigh for pets as she dozed.

“Really.”

She didn’t quite ask, but Vanille decided to answer anyhow.  “Women from any clan could pledge to the Yun and be taken to the village.. but those that went looking for it without a guide always disappeared.”

Light decided not to dwell on the thought of disappearing, and was grateful Serah wasn’t around to allow the comment to cement her worries even more.  “What do you mean pledge to the Yun?”

“They say the Yun village is a safe haven for women.  So a lot of women who were abused would ask to be taken there.”  She was thoughtful a moment, “Widows too I think.  I’m not sure..  But to get there, they had to find a Yun and basically pledge to serve them and ask to be taken back with them or something.”

“Permanently?”

She shrugged.  “I don’t know.  It’s all just stories..  Delta never mentioned it and neither did Fang.   I just remembered.”  She frowned.  “I just wonder if there’s anything to them.  I mean..  what if you can’t find it?”

“I have to try.”  She stated as she cleaned a piece of the disassembled blade and set it down on the coffee table, only to pick up the next piece.

Vanille nodded.  “I mixed up some remedies for you.  I know you can’t carry much.. so I tried to decide what was most important.”  She reached into her pouch and pulled out three corked vials and set them on the table aside all the pieces of the gunblade, one at a time.  “This one will help boost your immune system.  Lots of vitamins..  but not much help otherwise.  This one is a good antibiotic.  It’s made with Flan Oil, so it should hold for a good amount of time.  A few drops to a wound should be enough.  Bonus that it’s thick enough to help keep the wound moist enough to flex so it doesn’t crack and bleed.”  Light raised a brow, but didn’t stop cleaning the pieces.  “This one..  I debated about, but I thought it best.  It’ll help you retain water.  It used to be used to help cross parts of the dessert.. but I think out there.. if you can’t find water, or you can’t find good water, it might be good to have it.”

She was actually impressed enough to pause as she set another clean piece down.  “That’s.. very helpful.  Did you send Fang off with them too?”

“The antibiotic, yes.  I tried but she wouldn’t take anything else.”  She smiled a bit.  “I think she only took that one because she was never very good at mixing them herself, so if there was any she’d need it would be that one.”

Light nodded, setting the last clean part down, then picked up the largest piece to begin reassembly.  She noticed Vanille scrutinizing the blade as she worked.  “That’s not your Blazefire.”

“No.  The mechanical part of it won’t work out there.  This is a non-mechanized version.”

“Will that effect performance?”

“I’ve been training with it for the last two months to prepare, so I’ve adapted to its shortcomings.”

“Such as?”

She looked at the girl, wondering about her curiosity, but quickly looked back to her work.  “It folds manually, so it takes a bit more effort to fold for storage.  But to get battle ready only requires me to hold this latch down and give it a good flick of the wrist.  It only has those two settings, rather than a third for gun mode like the BlazeFire does.”

“So you can shoot and slash without changing it?”

She nodded.  “It’s a little awkward to shoot because of it, but it’ll have to do.  With a manual ammunition load, it’s best to preserve ammunition anyhow.”

Vanille watched in silence as Light finished putting it back together, then tested it.  Satisfied, she slipped it into the large holster.  “Why do you play the piano?”

Light looked toward the archway that lead into the dining room that housed the instrument, wondering about the random change in conversation.  “My mother taught me how to play.”

Vanille didn’t think that was the entire reason.  “So why are you shy about playing?  You were really good from what I heard that day.”

“Tch.” 

“You really were.  It was so pretty!”

She sighed, holding back her irritation.  “Playing has always helped me retain control.  Stress can kill when it distracts you.”

“So you learned to redirect it into music?”

“Basically.”

“Serah told me she can’t play as well as you.”

“She can’t..  but she could if she practiced more.  I guess I just needed it more than she did.”

“She might need it while you’re gone..”

Light only nodded absently, trying not to focus on the guilt her sister had inadvertently placed on her.

 

 

 

Unlike Fang, Light didn’t announce when she planned to leave.  When she invited everyone over for dinner, they easily guessed that it was her way of saying goodbye.  Though in her mind, it wasn’t goodbye, it was just ‘till next time’.

The sky was still dark, dawn was nearly an hour away.  The clothes she had settled on were similar to her uniform, light and easy to move in.  She replaced her cape with a more covering cloak, as she was certain nights in the mountains were not going to be friendly.  The nightly chill, coupled with the sudden downpours were going to make the entire journey a real test.

She looked at her survival kit then decided against it. She recalled what Fang said about the passage being a test.  Part of her wanted to impress Fang by adhering to the rules of that test; at least the ones she knew anyhow.

In her head, she ran down the list of things that she needed to do before she left, making sure they were all done.  The house was clean, but Serah and Vanille both had keys and promised to keep an eye on it.  She’d made arrangements with the Corps to have someone take over her post and had taken her leave.  Serah and Vanille had been instructed to take all the perishable food from the house so that it would get used and not go to waste. 

She placed two hand written letters on the table, one addressed to each of them.  She felt a little cowardly for deciding to go this route, but in the end she decided it would be easier on all of them.  Vanille had held back her tears for Fang’s sake and Light knew how hard it had been on the redhead to do so.  She didn’t want to force either of them through that if she could avoid it.

“Nyx.”  The large cat looked up from where she was sitting by the door, waiting.  Light walked over to her as she pulled the cloak over her shoulders to shield her from the chill.  She no longer had to kneel down to pat Nyx on the head.  “Time to go.”

 

 

 

Luckily, there had been no issues with the train this time around.  The ride to the last settlement was long and dull, she used the time to look over her maps again.  She had one main map, showing each of the settlements, plus the excavation points.  She had marked her initial ideas for venturing into the mountains on it, but it didn’t really cover all that much.  She intended on filling it in as she went along, hopefully enabling her to keep track of her progress as well as give her the ability to find her way back eventually.

She checked her equipment one last time, knowing that the settlement was going to be the last opportunity to deal with any issues.  Everything was in working order though, so she settled back in her seat and watched the scenery fly by as she tried to clear her mind.  This really did seem like an impossible journey, but she knew she had to try.

Her thoughts kept returning to Fang.  She regretted taking her presence for granted.  She missed her smile, her laugh; the easy way she could get Light to calm down- or rile her up.  She missed her company, simple as that.  But if she was honest with herself, she’d admit she missed her touch.  The memory of the kiss shoved its way into her mind’s eye.  She found she didn’t regret the kiss at all, only the action she’d taken against it.  Part of her wished it hadn’t ended.  Then, at least she’d have a clearer memory of her touch to sustain her.

Her cheeks colored as she felt the familiar burn.   Idly, she touched her lips with two fingers, amazed that she could still feel her touch there, even so long after that contact had ended.  The reminder only served to frustrate her body more as she shifted her legs.  A breathy sigh slipped from her lips.

She glanced around at the other passengers around her, happy to see most had tried to sit as far away from Nyx's constant scrutiny as possible.   No one had witnessed her momentary lapse.

 


	7. Chapter 7

****

The outer settlement was even less interesting that she’d thought it would be.  More of a shanty town than anything, it seemed to be serving as a supply depot for those working in the outskirts far from normal civilization.  There was no reason to stay long, she didn’t need supplies and didn’t want to waste time, so she moved through the small settlement and headed off following the prominent cliffs that outlined the hard edge of the mountains.

Supposedly, there had been foothills here once, according to the historians.  Foothills covered in a dense, colorful forest.  In her mind, she stripped the grasses and plants from the scene, and she could almost imagine how it may have looked when it had been stripped by the Fal’cie.

It was a conflict in her mind; without such things occurring, Cocoon would not exist.  Would she exist?  She wondered what life would have been like if she had been born on Gran Pulse.  What would it have been like if Lindzei had never begun to forge the so-called paradise? 

But it had happened and she couldn’t help but wonder how many innocent people had died because of it.  Vanille’s heartbreaking story of the Plundering she and Fang had witnessed..  It was more than she wanted to think about.

Nyx nuzzled her hand as they walked, pulling her thoughts back to reality. 

 

 

 

Nearly two days later they reached the opening in the cliffs.  Light paused to examine the vista before her.  Greenery covered most of what she could see, though there were several rocky outcroppings poking out here and there.  She was looking over the ground, trying to decide what looked stable; what would be the easiest path through.

Nyx sniffed the air as she wandered over to an exposed rock face that stood about four feet high.  It was mostly covered in moss, and a few small plants had sprouted near the top of it.  Light followed her to see what had gained the cat’s attention and noticed she was pawing at a flat, exposed part between clumps of moss.  There, nearly indistinguishable from natural occurrence was a scrape.  It was nearly a half an inch deep, but definitely caused by a blade.  The upswept edge was a clear sign of the blade being in motion and not in a perfect level arc.

She knelt down as Nyx moved aside and sat on her haunches, perfectly proud of herself.  As she ran her fingers over the gouge, she realized this wasn’t from a battle.  There were no other signs of a struggle.  Though admittedly, it was several months after Fang had ventured through the area, she was almost certain she made this mark purposely.  Why?  Was she leaving a trail for her to follow, or so she could find her way back?  Light decided the former was more likely.  The thought made her smile as she stood, patting Nyx on the head.  “Good girl.  Keep an eye out for more of those.”

The large feline huffed in what Light had come to recognize as an affirmative response.  With a nod, they began the tumultuous climb up the steep path.

 

 

 

“Mrew!”  Light moved closer to Nyx.  It was nearly dark, and they continued to follow the trail of slash marks left in clear stone faces.  It was clever really, the marks were spread far enough apart that if you weren’t looking for them, or at least didn’t have a feline who could apparently smell a trail months old, you would easily wander off the path.  But with Nyx’s keen sense of smell leading the way, they were able to find six marks over the course of the day. 

Light patted her on the head as she always did to reward her.  “Good job.  How about we find someplace to camp for the night and eat our dinner?”  Nyx looked entirely too happy about that idea and started sniffling along the ground again, following what Light could only think was an extremely faint trail.  She followed her, carrying the chunk of meat she’d cut from a kill only an hour before.  She’d wanted to stop then, but Nyx had been very insistent on moving ahead, so she’d followed the cat’s instinct, which had led to this new mark and apparently a cave.

Nyx turned and sat proudly at the entrance, her tail waving.  Light had to climb a ledge to reach the mouth of the cave, and made note of a small herd of sheep curling together off to the side, where the ledge widened out and was covered with grass.  Fang had taught her that the sheep were excellent for use as an early warning system and she was certainly glad to see them, though she wondered why they hadn’t been frightened of Nyx. 

She followed the cat into the shallow cave.  A quick reconnaissance showed her there was nothing in the cave of merit, save for an interesting arrangement of stones.  She knelt down and pushed some brush aside.  It was a fire pit.  With the brush over it, it seemed of little importance without a closer look.  The stones were moved haphazardly, but easy enough to move back into the small ring.  “Fang covered her tracks well enough to fool anyone who wasn’t looking for signs hmm?”

Nyx pawed at her and nudged her in the shoulder in response.  “Yes yes, you did a great job.”  She laughed and showered her companion with ear scratches and pets before reaching to pull her small knife from where it as stored in her boot.  As Nyx sat to watch, she licked her lips, eagerly awaiting the treat of fresh meat.  Light cut off a small bit, enough for herself, and then tossed the larger piece to Nyx.  “You’ve certainly earned that.”  She nodded slightly toward it, signaling that it was ok for her to dig in.  Nyx didn’t need to be told twice.

As Nyx devoured the hunk of meat, Light went about starting a fire so she could cook her own meal.

The meat was a bit tougher than she preferred, but it did the job.  She pulled her cloak tight around her as the cold of the night really set in.  Nyx settled on the ground near the fire, licking her paws clean.  Light curled up against her side in hopes of staying a bit warmer.  Nyx nuzzled her head once before laying her head down on her paws.

 

 

 

She was back on the Arc.  The others were around her.  Snow was giving a stupid speech about persevering and sticking together; protecting those who were unable to protect themselves.  The group was all smiles and laughs as they joined hands in confirmation of the agreement.  She stood off to the side, but smiled and nodded.  They were a team after all.

And yet, it was wrong.  It wasn’t the group at all.  They were faceless shadows.  They weren’t talking about saving Cocoon.  That would be pointless.. it was already done, right?

“Well count me out.”

She watched Fang step away from the group.  She spoke of death and the need for change.  But it wasn’t really her.  Well it looked like her, but her voice was far too deep and overlapped upon itself.

The platform of the Arc dissipated into darkness, as if they were standing in the void.  Once the blinding darkness settled in her vision, she could see crumbling ruins around them, transparent and shadowed like half heard ghosts.  The others were gone, faded away, leaving only her and the phantom Fang.

She watched the scene in slow motion.  Fang looked defiant; in pain as she dropped her lance and fell to her knees, clutching her arm.

But it wasn’t the correct arm, was it? Her L’cie brand had been on her _right_ shoulder, yet she dug her nails into the flesh of her left arm, crying out in pain, though she could hear nothing.  Light was rooted to the spot, unable to do more than watch as Fang’s tattoo seemed to stretch and.. pull off her skin.  It expanded as it did so, becoming a roiling mass of inky darkness. 

Fang fell backward, weak; barely conscious.  She was too far from her lance.  Light tried to move,  tried to defend her friend, but her muscles wouldn’t comply.

The black mass continued to expand and grow limbs, forming into a massive black dragon. It roared, mouth open, the long tusks near its jaw pointed skyward.  It spread its wings, rearing up on its hind legs before bringing its taloned forelimbs down with blinding speed.  Lightning could only watch and..

“FANG!”  She awoke with a start, causing Nyx to give her a concerned look.  She blinked, staring at the wall of the cave, trying to regain her bearings.  “It was only a dream..” she murmured to herself, wiping the cold sweat from her face. 

Nyx purred softly as she nuzzled her jaw.  Light smiled and hugged the cat to her, glad for the comfort.  What an odd dream.  Was that supposed to be Bahamut?  The similarities to when the Eidolon Bahamut appeared were plain enough.  What did it mean?  Possibly nothing, she supposed.  It could have been a dream borne of fear and anxiety.

She shivered, pulling the cloak tighter around her as she snuggled into Nyx’s side again.  It was nearly morning.  She let her head rest on the cat’s shoulder, who didn’t seem to mind.  They would need to get moving soon.  As soon as she could stop shaking.

Once she calmed enough, Nyx quietly got up and exited the cave, returning about ten minutes later with a small kill.  It was enough for breakfast between them.

After the meal, they were on the move again. Though they were not deep enough into the mountains to run into anything Light was unable to handle, she could see Wyverns flapping their way across the peaks.  Soon things would get much more difficult.

 

 

 

She felt lucky that after several days, the most trouble they’d run into was an odd plantlike creature that had nearly rolled over on Nyx.  It didn’t seem hostile, and it was far too large and slow to be a threat, but it had been invisible amongst the surrounding brush until Nyx went to investigate the odd smelling ‘plant’.  They’d escaped damage, and Light hadn’t felt the need to see what other defenses the strange creature had, so they moved on without difficulty.

It seemed luck was not going to hold out though as she watched the clouds quickly gather, turning the midday sky into near night time darkness.  Without a word, both she and Nyx started sprinting for shelter. 

The rain on the plains was sudden and cold, she was used to that, but up here, it brought stronger winds and far more immediate dangers.  They’d been fortunate enough to have already found shelter the first time rain had fallen, but it wasn’t nearly as nasty as this was looking to be.

The rain started only a moment later, a torrent of icy chill. She followed Nyx and ducked into a cave.  It was much larger than any of the others they had visited thus far.  She took a moment to catch her breath, only to hear a growl.  She looked to Nyx, hoping it was only the feline vocalizing her distaste for the rain, but no, Nyx was crouched down into a battle ready stance, her fur all standing on end, making her look larger.  Light pulled her blade, holding the latch so she could flick it into battle position even as she turned to see what had occupied the cave already.

Jabberwockies were grumpy, stubborn creatures by nature.  They also had a severe dislike to the elements, as Light had learned during their journey as l’cie.  She was unsurprised to find this one would seek shelter from the pounding rain and winds.  That knowledge, of course, held little bearing at the moment, seeing as she had no access to elemental magic anymore.

As they stood there, staring each other down, Light realized she could not defeat a jabberwocky on her own without her magic.  Mentally she cursed.  The only option was to relocate.  Either that or taunt the beast out into the rain, but she had a feeling that was going to be near impossible.

“Nyx, let’s go!”  Quickly she turned, knowing the large feline would be right behind her.  She sheathed her blade as she hurried back out into the rain, just barely missing the swipe the Jabberwocky had finally decided to take at her.  ‘Better luck next time pal,’ she smirked to herself as she broke into a near sprint, looking for possible new shelter.

 

 

 

It was nearly a week of on and off rain, occasional snow and a few deadly mudslides.  Light was beginning to understand why Fang hadn’t returned yet, if it took this long just to go into the mountains.  Then assume she found what she was looking for, that would take up some time too.

Well, she was certain the trail she and Nyx were following had been made by Fang, and she was hopeful it was the same trail Fang had meant to follow back out of the mountains.  In which case, if she happened to be on her way back, they should cross paths.

Well, she was hopeful anyhow.

It was hard enough just following the trail.  The mudslides had washed away one of the markers overnight after they had passed it.  It made Light wonder if others had been destroyed in some way.

As it was, they’d been stuck in yet another small cave for the last two days.  Light was unhappy about stalling her progress, but there was little to be done about it.  She didn’t have the resources to continue on through the rain.  She’d had to leave the majority of the hunting up to Nyx as well.  From what Fang had told her, canthors were habitually mountain creatures and she was far hardier against the crazy weather than Light was.

She didn’t seem to mind anyway, she’d always return with enough meat for them both and then she’d calmly settle on the rocks to preen away the water stuck in her fur.  Usually, by the time she was fully dry, Light had her own meal prepared, and the two would eat together. 

 

 

 

Once the rains finally cleared, they were free to move again. Still, they had to deal with the aftermath of the rains.  Mudslides had blocked their path, riverbeds had overflowed their banks.  Nyx was having a hard time following the scent trail, though Light hadn’t been certain how she was following it in the first place.

“We should have found a marker by now.”  She grumbled to herself in frustration.  Had they strayed?  Would they have to double back?

“Mrew,” Nyx noted in her ‘don’t doubt me’ tone as she padded off a few yards ahead and started sniffing around some more.  Light followed along slowly, watching as she nosed her way under a fallen tree. 

Abruptly she pulled herself out and happily cried, “Mrew!” as if calling Light over to see her triumph.

Light indeed went to see what she’d found, but it wasn’t what she was expecting.  There was no mark in the stone that she could see, but there was an arrangement of old, weathered stones. Light crawled under the tree to get a better look.  The stones looked as if they had been in the same position for a very long time.  A fire pit?  Perhaps.  A very large one.  The circle looked to be nearly two meters wide.  Why would anyone need a pit that large?

At the altitude they were at, she could imagine it might have been a signal flare, but for what? Was the Yun village close by?

Light wriggled her way out from under the tree and pulled herself up on top of it.  She looked down at what she could see of the circle from above, then at the rock faces around it.  _If_ it was a signal fire, there were only two directions it could have been seen from, one of which they had been travelling from.  She’d seen no ruins or anything along the way, so probably a safe bet it was not in that direction.  She made up her mind.  “That way Nyx.  Let’s keep going.”  The large cat lopped off ahead, seemingly happy to have found a clue.


	8. Chapter 8

****

Serah and Vanille met once a week at Light’s house to upkeep the garden and keep dust under control.  Serah had arrived a bit early this week and found herself before the piano, just staring at the keys.  She was always jealous of the beautiful sounds her sister could pull from the instrument, since she herself was not so good at it.

She picked up the frame that habitually sat on the stand next to the bench and ran her fingers over the glass that protected the photo within.   Smiling back at her from a frozen moment in time was her and her sister; just children.  They were hugged together and laughing between their parents.  It had been taken on a camping trip, shortly before their father had passed on.  She touched his face through the glass.  She’d been too young, she barely remembered him.  A few short years later, their mother would also leave them behind.

She was sad for their loss, but life had to go on.  Claire had made sure that they would continue; had made sure Serah didn’t have the time to retreat into her shell as she’d tried to do.  Claire had really stepped up and did everything she could to make sure she had every opportunity they could afford, all the while ignoring her own needs.  Serah was well more aware of it now, but she wished she’d been able to see it then.

She set the photo back onto the stand and looked at the keys again.  She’d arrived early for a reason.  Light’s letter had been simple instructions for while she was away, but the end was an apology and a plea for her to understand her motives.  She was starting to; starting to figure out that because of the care she meticulously gave to her, Claire had fallen behind the curve on her personal life.  She’d found someone who understood her better than anyone and Serah understood the need to keep that person close, or in this case, make sure she returned home.  The end of the letter was marked with a simple ‘P.S.  Practice.’ 

Since she couldn’t tell her that she didn’t blame her for anything, right now, practicing made her feel a little closer to her, even when she was so far away. 

She looked through the simple training book looking for the song she’d been working on.  It wasn’t a difficult song, but it was helping her get timing down, which had always been one of her difficulties.  When she found the song, she set the book up on the small music rack before finding her finger position over the keys. 

Just as she was about to press them down in her newest attempt, she heard the door open.  “Serah?”

“In here Vanille!”  She replied to the call from the entryway.  The redhead poked her head into the converted dining room a few moments later.

“How’s it going?” She asked curiously as she invited herself to perch on a chair against the wall.  The two girls had become good friends since everything had happened, and often did things together.  When they had come to find Light gone and the letters on the table, they had opened them together, and cried a bit together.  They had confided their fears in each other; their hopes as well.

Vanille’s letter had been similar to Serah’s, the main part was instructions, then an apology.  Where’s Serah’s apology had been based around how Light felt she hadn’t been there enough for her, Vanille’s revolved around how Light felt she’d pushed Fang away.  Like Serah, Vanille couldn’t talk to her in reply, so she made sure she saw to the tasks Light had set out for her. 

They were mostly simple things they’d known already, things they already tended, but they understood Light likely felt better for saying them anyhow.  So in the month since Light had left, the two had worked together.  They did their best to keep the house free of dust and other ailments that occurred in unoccupied space, both wanting it to be ready for their sisters when they returned.  Together they also tended the garden and in quiet moments, Serah would teach Vanille what she knew about playing the piano. 

At least, she tried.  Vanille listened, interested, but never ventured to play.  She knew part of the reason Serah would tell her how it worked was to refresh herself. 

“Well..” She started, uncertainly.  “I was going to try to play this piece again.  I think I can do it now.”  She smiled softly as Vanille settled in to listen.  Even if she never tried to play herself, Serah knew she loved the sound the large instrument made.

As Serah placed her hands over the keys again, she gave Vanille a look.  When the red head nodded in return, she looked back to the keys and began to play.  While her strokes were not as confident as Light’s had been, they were enough to allow them both a moment to relax and forget their problems and fears for a few minutes.

 

 

 

The rain had died down, but the mud was still making a nuisance of itself.  “Hold Nyx.”  The large cat looked up from where it was sniffing the edge of what appeared to be a river that was nearly saturated with mud.  Going around wasn’t viable, they’d have to find a way over.

She scanned the area, in particular the two cliffs that were relatively close together which the river flowed between.  They seemed like the best bet for getting across; she just had to find a way up.  Nyx, already understanding the plan was easily making her way up the slope.  Light smiled a bit, happy to see the cat enjoying herself.  Canthors were generally from the mountains anyhow, so she was right in her element.  Light however, was not so lucky.  As she started her climb, a large dark shadow passed over them. 

They both paused in their climb to look up, but the creature was already gone.  “A wyvern?”  She wondered aloud, earning a glance from Nyx, though the cat seemed indifferent.  ‘Odd,’ she thought as she began to climb again, ‘Nyx would normally be all growls and snarls if a Wyvern got that close..  so what was it?’

The more she thought about it, the odder it seemed.  In the last two days, they hadn’t run afoul of any really hazardous creatures.  This deep into the mountains, and judging by what they had seen already, she figured there should be so many predators around to force them to be slow and stealthy, but there weren’t.  They were travelling in broad daylight, making no attempt to be stealthy, and yet nothing had attacked them.  An uneasy feeling seeped into her belly.

 

 

 

 

_Clack_

_Clack_

_Clack_

She watched the older girls sparring.  Their wooden, semi-functional weapons hit against each other as they would strike and parry.  The taller of the two was definitely the better of them, but for whatever reason, she was not dispatching her opponent.  Rather than act and strike the shorter girl, she was only reacting and stopping her from scoring any hits.

Veda yawned.  They could be at this all day at this rate.

She’d never get a chance to try it herself.  Though every week she was told, “Maybe, if we have time I’ll let one of the older girls work with you,” but that magical time never quite managed to pop into existence.  She still had to get through hand to hand before she could even think about weapon training. 

The Matron always seemed to forget she was there at all.  Perhaps she was pretending she wasn’t.  Matron never really paid any attention to her.  Case in point; when she stood to leave, the Matron made no comment or acknowledgement of the motion.

Had training been up to the old standard, her caste would have started pre-weapon training by now, but she barely knew any hand to hand at all.  Lack of peers and those who let her fade into the background had taken their toll.  The only lessons she actually got to do instead of just _watch_ were her dance lessons. 

She didn’t particularly like dance, but the temple sisters treated her better than anyone else, so she’d been sure to learn each step.  Not that it was specifically dance, they also taught her yoga and some gymnastics to promote flexibility and fluidity.  At first, she’d thought it stupid, but as she got better at it, she noticed it had become easier to explore the ruins of the city.  She was lighter on her feet, enabling her to be a bit sneakier.  So she began to understand why that particular training was important and she’d thrown herself into the effort to learn as best she could, hoping they would see she was worthy of her lessons.

Still, the Matron basically ignored her presence.  Ava had told her the Matron was a bit traumatized when so many of the younger girls in her care ‘awoke still’ from crystal sleep.  Veda never pushed the issue, she knew Ava meant all the girls who hadn’t survived the crystal sleep.

There was little point in dwelling on it; it was better to take matters into her own hands.  And so she had.  She often snuck away to watch the older castes in their lessons and their spars.  Then she would practice on her own, using what she knew about movement from the dance classes.  It was slow and sometimes she felt clumsy, but she was making progress.  Still, she lacked peers to practice with, or anyone to coach her on what she did wrong.

She left the yard of the group home and wandered toward the center of the city, which wasn’t too far away.  Today, she knew the warriors would be sparring, and that was always fun to watch!

But the crowd in the stands watching was far larger than it usually was.  Everyone seemed very focused on the pair sparring in the basin of the bowl-like amphitheater.  She decided if it was _that_ interesting, she definitely wanted to see, so she moved down the incline to find a seat with a good vantage point.

 

 

 

The blades sparked as they glanced against each other.  Her opponent spun and lashed out with a foot, but she was easily able to deflect the kick.  Again her opponent lunged with one of the two sickle blades she carried and again she deflected the attack.  She was just getting a measure of the girl’s abilities.

She could tell she wasn’t particularly strong.  She was certainly agile and likely depended on her speed.  Unfortunately for her, Fang had sparred many, _many_ times with the fastest woman she knew.

She laughed as she twirled her lance and caught the curve of one sickle and pinned it to the ground.  “Well, you’re fast Kaz.”  The woman tugged at the chain that connected her two sickles, judging if she would be able to pull the one free, but Fang suddenly shifted her lance and pulled it back in a harsh arc.  Kaz, not expecting the movement was pulled forward, but caught herself on her knees and managed not to fall onto her face in the dust.

It wouldn’t help her.  Fang grabbed the hostage sickle and moved around her, trailing the chain and using the woman’s own weapon against her.  With a chain around her neck, Kaz knew the fight was just about over.  Fang braced her foot against her back, forcing her to curl forward while pulling the chain tighter.  Kaz used one hand to slap the ground three times, signaling that she gave in.  Grinning, Fang leaned close as she pulled the chain free from her throat.  “But you can’t be faster than Lightning.”

Kaz sputtered for a moment, trying to catch her breath while wondering what that was supposed to mean.

“The winner, Fang!”  The announcer spoke through the conical amplifier.  The crowd cheered.  Fang took a moment to actually look at the assembled group.  She hadn’t noticed so many come in to watch.  Daya stepped forward, smiling and held out her hand.  Fang returned the gesture and they grasped each other’s wrists, though her eyes were still scanning the packed theatre.

Daya chuckled a moment as she followed Fang’s gaze.  “News travels fast.  Everyone was interested to see the Dragon in action.”

“Tch.”  A habit she’d picked up from her favorite pink haired soldier.  “I’m not the Dragon,” she protested softly, tired of saying it already.

“Texts disagree.”

She could only sigh in response as she stowed her lance behind her back.  They moved off to the side to allow other participants to spar.  Daya patted her on the shoulder.  “You owe me a rematch too y’know.”  Daya had expressed the interest in sparring with Fang when she was in good physical condition, rather than the dehydrated mess her team had found in the mountains.  She didn’t await a reply as she moved off to continue watching the sparring matches.

Fang shook her head as she glanced over the assembled women again.  She spotted a familiar little girl hidden among them and moved to investigate.  She sat down next to the girl, who pretended not to notice.  Her blush at being caught told a different story.  “Shouldn’t you be in class?”

Veda made a face, pinching her lips tightly together.  “I thought you were supposed to learn things in class.”

“Generally, that’d be the idea..” Fang chuckled.

“I learn more watching adults spar.”

“Learn more by doin’.”

“Well yeah, but they never let me.”

Fang recalled what she had said about training being all messed up since they awoke.  She ‘hummed’ in thought before reaching out to tug at the girl’s shoulder.  “C’mon with me.”

Confused but interested, Veda got up and followed her out of the amphitheater.

 


	9. Chapter 9

****

"Wait here."  Fang told her, expecting her to listen as she passed through the archway into the next room.  Veda leaned to the side just enough to see her speaking with Ava.  Quickly she stood straight again, her face coloring just a bit as she wondered if she was going to be in trouble.  Ava was a Sybil, she certainly had the power to put her in as much trouble as she pleased.

Anger crossed her small face; anger at Fang for tattling on her.  It passed as she realized they weren't coming back into the room to punish her, so she calmed somewhat and strained to hear what was being said.

"You understand what you are asking?"  Ava replied to something Fang had said.  There was silence then, she could almost see Fang tossing whatever they were talking about over in her mind.

"Yeah.  If there's more to deal with about it later I will."

"You are certain of that?"

Fang huffed indignantly.  "What are they gonna do?  Force me to stay?  Tch."

"They could try."

"Tryin' ain't doin'."  By the new silence, Veda wondered if Ava agreed with Fang on that point.

Then she heard a sigh and the faint movement of cloth as one of them moved.  "And what of your partner?"

"She..  She's not my partner."  Fang sounded uncertain, perhaps a little saddened?  Veda wasn't sure, but she certainly was curious now.

"You love her."  A statement, not a question.

Veda couldn't hear Fang's reply as Ava appeared through the doorway, a soft, motherly smile crossing her lips.  "Veda."  She looked at the Sybil expectantly.  "You will train with Fang today."

Veda shifted her gaze to follow Fang as she entered the room behind Ava.  She could tell she was trying to look positive, but something was bothering her.  She'd have to ask later.  She looked back to Ava and opened her mouth to ask a question, but Ava cut her off with a raised hand.

"I will speak to your teachers.  I know they have been allowing you to leave classes without reprimand..  the fault lies in them for that."  She leaned down to look into the girl's crimson eyes.  "I trust with this new arrangement, you will actually stay in class?" 

She nodded quickly.  A chance to learn directly from Fang?  Of course she'd stay!  Any of the other Castes would be jealous of her for getting to train with the Dragon, especially when they thought her so worthless.  But really, she was excited not for that, but so she could have more time with what amounted to her only living relative.  Technically, anyway.

"Excellent."  Without another word, Ava straightened again and left the room, presumably to go speak with her teachers. 

 

 

 

It wasn't long before Veda found herself in one of the smaller training rings. Since the other class had finished, Fang decided it would be a good place to work.

She led the small girl onto the freshly cleaned stone that was surrounded by worn stone blocks that served as benches.  Veda had been in this particular ring many times before, but always as a spectator.  She cautiously stepped onto the stone, wondering what exactly they'd be working on.

She halted as Fang moved to the center and turned to her.  "How many forms do you know?"

Veda blinked and looked down at her feet as she mumbled, "The first three."

"Three?"  Fang was surprised, of course.  She ought to know at least the first five and started on the sixth by now.

"Well.  I kinda know the fourth."

Fang stepped closer to her and used one hand to lift her chin so she could look into her eyes.  "Don't be ashamed of what you know.  Did you teach yourself the third and fourth?" 

Veda nodded uncertainly.  "How did you know that?"

Fang grinned.  "First two are dance.  Second two are pre-combat.  Figured by what you said already, they haven't been putting you through pre-combat yet."

She motioned for Veda to step into the center as she moved back a bit.  "Alright.   Gonna have to get those two down before we can move on, so show me whatcha got."

She moved awkwardly into the first stance, unsure of herself.  Would Fang think her a fool if she had a misstep?  The thought made her nervous; she'd never gone through the forms with someone watching.   She took a deep breath and tried to calm herself, then lifted her left arm and lowered her right as she moved one leg back to reverse the direction she faced.  Her foot caught on the edge of a crack in the stone and she nearly fell over.  She managed to catch herself, but her face turned just as red as her eyes when she heard someone laughing.

She looked to Fang, as she gave up on the stance.  She was angry; how dare she laugh at her?

But it wasn't Fang laughing.  Fang had turned to see who it was as well and was already shooing some of the older girls away.   "Etro's Hands..  I'd forgotten how fast news traveled around here."  Veda smiled, amused at the curse.  Fang shook her head and moved back toward Veda.  "Ignore them."  She gently guided Veda back into the first stance, noting how she was shaking.  "Relax.  You're going to trip if you don't, and I'm not gonna teach you if you can't take it seriously." 

Veda huffed angrily as she turned to Fang.  "I am!"

"Tsk.  Listen to me."  She knelt down next to her, her hand on her arm.  "Don't worry about what everyone else thinks.  I know, it's not easy, but you **can** do it."  Her voice lowered as she continued, "Y'gotta learn to control your anger.  Believe me that can get you into trouble fast."  Fang looked away for a moment and took a breath before looking back to her.  "You're at a disadvantage here, but remember you **are** your own advantage.  You didn't give up when faced with a problem; you tried to do it yourself.  That's something to be proud of.  No matter what anyone says or does to the contrary, you **are** Yun.  It's up to you to prove you're worth the name."  It was the same speech Delta had told her as a child.  She hoped it would have the same effect.

She watched Veda's expression change as she processed her words.  Her anger seemed to dissipate as her expression hardened some.  "Ok."  She nodded.

"Good."  She stood and once again guided her into the first stance.  Veda allowed her to adjust her positioning as she felt the need to.  Fang lowered one of her arms and had her bring her foot in by a few inches.  "Don't be so stiff, this might be pre-combat, but think of it just like dance.  Keep loose; fluid."

Veda relaxed as best she could.   Satisfied, Fang moved back a bit.  "Now, try again to go through the whole form, then move right into the fourth."

She again began to move, this time mindful of the crack in the stone.  After the first three stances, she closed her eyes and imagined she was alone again.  It helped her to relax a bit more as she moved. 

With her eyes closed, she couldn't see Fang's nods of approval.

 

 

 

A few days later, Veda accompanied Fang up to the top of the ridge behind the temple.  The sun hadn't even peaked over the mountain yet, but they were already moving through the forms together.  After the last few days of coaching, Veda had picked them up and was moving through them as if she'd known them for ages.  They moved nearly perfectly in step with each other, a light sheen of sweat already coating their skin.

After the first few sessions getting interrupted by onlookers, Fang had moved them out to the bluff.   Fang had decided she would teach Veda as she herself was taught; amongst nature and greeting the sun.

Veda felt free out here, outside the confines of the city, outside the view and influence of the older girls and their mockery.  Fang had noticed the change in her attitude.  She had noticed how easily she picked things up when given the freedom to explore them and her own ability.

They ended the fourth form facing the sun just as its rays began to curl over the mountain and reach them.  Veda had never seen the sunrise from outside the city.  She had never been able to watch as it climbed over the mountain and flooded the city with light.  She watched in wonder as the sunrays moved down the cliff face from where they stood.  It touched on the temple spire, the highest point in the city itself.  She couldn’t see it cover the front of the temple since she was behind and above it, but when it began to fan out over the city itself, it was like watching Artemi open her eyes.  It was simply breathtaking. 

Veda looked over to Fang to find she had watched the dawn turn into day as well.  She was mildly surprised to see that the older woman had tears in her eyes.  "Fang?"  She asked curiously as she took her hand.

Fang smiled to her and motioned to the vista with her free hand.  "I guess I missed this.  It feels like forever since I stood up here with Delta."  She sounded sad, so Veda squeezed her hand lightly.

"She was your mentor."

Fang nodded.  "She was.  She taught me what it was to be Yun."  She laughed a bit sourly as they sat down, still watching the city come alive in the morning light.  "I didn't even know she was my mother's partner.  I never understood why she bothered with me at all."

"What about your partner?"  She asked, somewhat changing the subject.  "Do you have one?"  She added quickly, not wanting Fang to know she had overheard her little conversation with Ava.

"I.."  She paused, thinking on how to say what she wanted to say.  "There is someone.. but she's not my partner."

Veda tilted her head in that curious way that Fang was growing accustomed to.  The girl was so curious about everything.  "You want her to be."  She didn't ask; she didn't have to.

Fang seemed to think about that before nodded slightly.  "I suppose I do."

Veda smiled at that.  "What's she like?"

Now Fang smiled, an image of Lightning appearing in her mind's eye.  She exhaled slowly as her mood shifted in a better direction.  "She's strong.  Fast.  Passionate about everything she does."  She smiled more as she leaned back and put her weight on her arms.  "She'd fit right in here..  She's a protector.  A warrior."

If Veda didn't know better she would think Fang was set on another member of the clan.  But she did know better.  She also knew each of those praises meant a lot to Yun.  "She's one of _them_."  She stated, though her tone wasn't really condescending at all.

Fang nodded slowly.  "Yeah..  But you'd never know it.  She's nothing like what you'd expect.  None of them are really."

Veda nodded in return, satisfied with the answer.  "What's her name?"

"Lightning."

 

 

 

A shiver ran down her spine as she pulled herself over the riverbank and onto the grass.  The water had been cold, but she didn't think it had caused the shiver.  She looked up toward the blue sky.  She was happy today; a sense of contentment had fallen over her in the last few hours.  Really, the last few days had left her feeling pretty good, though she wasn't entirely sure why.

Maybe it was because the rain had stopped.  A few sunny days after nearly drowning in rain was enough to put anyone in a good mood.

She'd decided to take advantage of a small inlet off the river where the current was just enough to keep the water circulating.  It was a perfect spot for a morning swim and bath.  She settled back on the grass, nude as she allowed the sun to dry her skin.  A few feet away her clothes were laid out to dry in sun as well.  She'd washed them as best she could before her swim.

For the first time in several days she felt clean.  It was a wondrous feeling that people often took for granted. 

This was really the first decent amount of clean water she'd happened upon during her journey, as most of it had been clogged with mud and unsettled silt.  Some of the water holes she'd found looked like they were resting placed for rust flans, and she knew better than to drink the russet colored water.

It was good fortune to find clean water though, as the potion Vanille had given her was nearly gone.  She hoped she would find something more of the village soon, as the prospect of running out of water was not a happy thought.  

She rolled on her side and watched Nyx playfully roll around in the grass as she batted at insects that tried to fly away.  A smile settled on her lips as she watched.  Sometimes it was all too easy to remember that Nyx was still just an overgrown kitten.  From what Fang had told her, canthors grew quickly in order to survive, but continued to be fun loving and playful throughout their entire lives. 

Through her interaction with Nyx, Light could easily see why they made such excellent companions for hunters; they were serious when it was time to work, protective always, and playful when time allowed. 

She'd relied on Nyx a lot during their travels.  The feline had provided for her when she couldn't do it herself, namely when the rain had gotten too heavy and cold.  She'd watched over her as she slept and alerted her to any danger before it became a problem, and also helped her find the trail when they strayed too far.

Part of her wondered how Fang could manage to make this journey without any help.  She sat up with a disgruntled sigh, wondering if Fang had been holding back when they sparred.   She certainly didn't _feel_ like she was on par with the huntress now.  'Then again,' she mused to herself as she checked to see if her clothes were dry, 'She has been gone an awfully long time.  _And_ she did have an advantage since she'd been out here before.'  She smiled to herself as she began to pull her clothes on.  She was doing pretty well for someone who didn't know the landscape or the wildlife very well!

Nyx tensed, rolling onto her belly and into a low, alarmed crouch.  Lightning, very aware of the cat's early warnings, quickly pulled on her jacket and liberated her blade from its casing.  With a flick of her wrist, the blade unfolded and snapped into place.

Nyx growled as she backed up slowly.  Lightning knew that was a **bad** sign.

Quickly, she glanced around their immediate area again.  Their backs were to the river.  There was a cliff to their right; too steep and smooth to climb.  The clearing was lined by trees the rest of the way around.  She knew about half a click following the river to their left, the ground cut off quickly as the landscape seemed to descend in a series of giant steps made up by cliffs.  Not a good position to be in.

The ground started to tremble.  Definitely not good.  Either it was an earthquake- they'd already survived two of those- or it was something very **big**.  She swallowed apprehensively as she settled into a defensive stance.

Nothing could have prepared her for the stampede that tumbled out of the tree line.  Behemoths; larger than any she had seen yet, were fronting a herd perhaps thirty strong.  She knew it was unlikely they had come looking for a fight; that they were probably just headed for a rest by the water, but what mattered was that she and Nyx were between them and their goal.  Behemoth were not known for excusing anything in their path and they’d already trained their sights on her.

Lightning knew she was a top notch fighter..  but she also knew when she was outmatched.  Even Nyx's demeanor had changed.  She knew the cat was aware of just how bad the situation was.  

She lifted her blade as the lead Behemoth leapt into the air, fully in attack mode.  She had only a moment to think before it struck.  'Sorry Fang.. Serah..  I failed.'


	10. Chapter 10

****

She gripped the blade in her hands, turning it slightly as she settled into a better stance.  ‘I might fail, but I’m going down fighting..’  She and Nyx both ducked to the side as the massive behemoth slammed into the ground they had been standing on.  It was probably not the best option; it separated them with the behemoth between them and more closing in fast.  She tried to deflect the beast’s claws as it swung at her, but its sheer strength was enough to nearly toss her into the water.

It roared angrily at her and she noticed blood dripping from where her blade had touched it.  It reared up to swing at her again, but howled in rage as Nyx jumped onto its back and dug in with fangs and claws.  Apparently the feline wasn’t giving up without a fight either.

The second behemoth made its presence known as it lunged for her.  She jumped in attempt to bypass the jaws and if she was lucky, land on its back.  Apparently, lady luck wasn’t with her as the creature lifted its head in a sharp angle.  She tried to twist her body out of the way, but the forward spike on its bladed horn caught her thigh.  The midair twist, aided by the glancing blow pushed her off to the side.  She landed badly, but managed to roll and not cause more damage.  She glanced at the gash on her thigh, already covered in blood.  It wasn’t as bad as it looked, but it was going to hurt later.  She watched as Nyx harassed the largest behemoth, still clinging to its back.  She also noticed the cat was being extremely mindful of the large barb on the end of the behemoth’s tail, which it continued to strike at her with as it tried to dislodge her.  Light knew it would probably be a good idea for her to avoid those barbs as well.

Lightning rolled to the side as a smaller behemoth entered the fight to swing at her in tandem with the larger one that had already injured her.  She ducked the second swing and flipped backward, trying to find a better vantage point or possibly a way out of the fight entirely.  The behemoth turned and swung its tail at her, but she was able to flip up and back onto a boulder to avoid it.  What she saw from the high perch was disheartening.  The pack had crowded the clearing, with more still inside the tree line.  She shook her head in disbelief; she had never seen so many behemoth together.

She heard Nyx yelp and turned in time to see the behemoth finally manage to tear the cat off and toss her right into the water.  ‘Bad..  very bad..’  While a few of the beasts watched the water for Nyx, most had returned their attention to Light.  She watched the largest one crouch and tense; it was going to leap at her, and there was nowhere to go.

She watched as he leapt claws out and seeking to rend her flesh.  It was as if the world fell into slow motion.  A shadow fell over her as a roar rang out.

Something black and even more massive than the behemoth slammed into it from above.  Long crimson talons dug into the behemoth’s flesh and caused it to howl in pain as the black creature rolled and used the momentum to augment its own strength to throw the beast back into its pack, forcing many of them to scatter.

The black creature righted itself and spread its wings, mantling them to draw their undivided attention as it roared a challenge.

Lightning couldn’t believe what she was seeing.  The pack of behemoths growled, but hesitantly took off into the trees.  She only had a moment to worry about what a creature so threatening to so many behemoths might do to her before it folded its wings and began to turn.

It snorted as it turned, swinging its head around to look at her with eyes that swirled red and purple.  Its forward tusks were like long black blades, tipped in red.  They moved slightly, reminding her of the mandibles on insects.  It just gazed at her, head tilted as if contemplating her just as she contemplated it. 

And then it dawned on her why the creature was so familiar.  “Bahamut?”

He snorted in affirmation as he settled back on his haunches, extending his wings just enough to readjust how they sat along his back. 

She could see now, it really _was_ Bahamut, though he looked very different than he had the last time she’d seen him.  Gone were all traces of mechanization.  His body was covered with shining onyx scales, though some looked a deep royal purple when the sunlight caught them.  He was far less smooth now as well, each scale was like sharp plate armor.  He was just like what she’d seen in her dream. 

“Are you..  the real Bahamut?”  She ventured as she cautiously slid off the boulder.  “Was the other just a fake?”  He tilted his head more, perhaps unable to answer such a question.  Maybe he didn’t know what she was talking about.

They both turned upon hearing splashing and watched Nyx emerge from the water and shake off.  She didn’t seem alarmed by the black dragon, which helped put Light at ease.  Nyx was limping just enough for Light to notice, but she didn’t see any blatant injuries.  The cat moved uninhibited to Lights side and settled back on her haunches to gaze at the dragon.

Light watched, fascinated as Nyx and Bahamut started making small sounds at each other, somewhere between grunts and huffs.  ‘They’re.. talking.’ She thought, both amused and amazed.

Then Bahamut suddenly stood and began to walk away.  She was ready to call out, but Nyx nuzzled her hand, a sign to say it was ok and then moved to follow.  Bewildered by the entire exchange- and wondering if she’d hit her head too hard in that battle- Light could only sheath her blade and follow along.

 

 

 

It was about midday when they reached a fair sized cave.  Against one wall, there was a pool of what looked like clean, running water. 

Bahamut lead them in, then curled up against the far wall and laid his head down on the sandy ground.  The sounds he made as he moved almost made her think he was in pain. 

Nyx licked Light’s hand before curling up to give her fur a good once over.

She could feel Bahamut watching her as she settled near a small pool and tested it.  A mountain spring; it was fresh and clean, even more so than the river inlet.  She took a moment to drink before working to clean the wound on her leg.  As she settled with her back against a stalagmite and pulled the stopper from the antibiotic that Vanille had given her, she looked back to the dragon.

“I don’t suppose you can talk to me.”  He just blinked at her and didn’t move.  “Figures.”  She tilted the vial just enough to let a few drops splash into the wound.  It stung for a moment then the familiar numbing effect took over.  She put the stopper back onto the nearly empty vial and slid it back into her small pack.

In the silence, she was able to look over Bahamut more closely and noticed he appeared to be injured.  Some scales seemed loose or in the process of growing back.  Slowly she got to her feet and moved closer to inspect the damage.  He grunted as she gently touched one of the loosened scales, but didn’t do anything to stop her.  There appeared to be scratches along the scales down his side.  He lifted a wing to allow her inspection.  “Must have been one hell of a fight..” she mumbled to herself as she inspected the wing joint, which had a nasty deep cut along it. Now she understood why he hadn’t opted to fly them to the cave.  It just wasn’t dire enough to put him in more pain. 

She retrieved the antibiotic from her pack and drizzled a few drops into the wound.  He hissed and turned his head sharply.  “Easy,” she said softly as she let him relax his wing again.  He snorted and settled as the pain subsided.

Light was halfway back across the span of the cave to her pack when she felt an odd pain.  It was small at first, but quickly grew.  Before she knew it, her arm felt like it was on fire, and the pain was quickly spreading.  Nyx was on her feet, clearly unsure how to protect her from something unseen. 

The vial dropped from numb fingers and shattered on the ground.  She dropped to her knees, trying to figure out what was wrong.  There was nothing wrong with her aside from the gash left by the behemoth, but the pain didn’t seem to have anything to do with that wound.  She felt ill; dizzy.  She swayed a moment before she expelled the contents of her stomach and fell harshly onto her side.  She could barely make out the form of Bahamut moving over her and out of the cave before she blacked out.

 

 

 

‘ _Wake up.’_

She groaned. 

‘ _Wake up.’_

She felt something velvety nudge her cheek.  She forced her eyes open.  At first, all she could see was a white blob.

_‘The pain you feel is a phantom..  you must separate yourself from it.’_

Who was talking to her?  The voice was familiar somehow.  Her ears were ringing so bad, she wasn’t sure how she could even hear them.

_‘Focus.  You must divide yourself if you wish to survive.’_

Blearily, her mind told her that sounded rather serious.  She tried to focus on the voice; on herself; on Nyx who was dutifully at her side.  Slowly her vision cleared as she pushed the pain away.

She blinked a few times as the white blob slowly morphed into the nose of a rather large white horse. “Odin?”  She wondered aloud, her voice a bit scratchy.

A soft chuckle filled her mind.  It helped her push the pain away until it was nothing more than a niggling in the back of her mind.  Slowly, she sat up, running a hand over Nyx’s back to assure her she was alright.  She looked up to Odin.  “How is this even possible?”

The great white head turned.  _‘I choose to be here.’_

“Right.  That explains everything.”  She mumbled irritably as she got to her feet and dusted herself off.

_‘There is no time.  We must go.  It is not safe here.’_

“Go where?  There doesn’t seem to be anyplace in the mountains that is safe.”  She’d worry about the how of it all later.  She quickly strapped her pack to her leg and made sure her blade was nestled into its sheath.  She could feel Odin’s urgency; now was obviously not the time for questions.

He knelt down on his forelegs offering her an easier way onto his back.  _‘She is hurt.  I will take you to her.  It is safe there for now.’_

She felt ice grip her heart.  “..Fang?”

Once she was secure on his back, he stood and made his way out of the cave. _‘Bahamut went to her. Hold tightly..  we must be quick.’_   She barely had time to follow the instruction before he took off like a shot, quickly outpacing any natural beast, including Nyx.  He noted her worry, _‘She will be fine.  She will follow.’_

 

 

 

The ride was fairly quick for the distance covered.  It was nearly nightfall when they crested the ridge and she saw the city come into view.  His sudden stop would have thrown her if she hadn’t been somehow mentally tuned to him.  He reared up on his hind legs and let out a whinny far louder and stronger than any horse should be capable of.  In the distance, behind the spire, she saw great black wings unfurl as a roar answered him.  Bahamut was there.  That meant Fang was there.

Odin began the treacherous decent into the valley that contained the crumbling city.  It didn’t matter how steep the path, he was as surefooted as ever.  It was mere minutes before his hooves clacked on the cobblestone streets.   Lightning watched as they were quickly surrounded by a group of women in black clothing. 

Odin reared, unable to continue forward.  She jumped off his back, landing in a crouch and set one hand on the hilt of her blade.  She didn’t move.  Though each woman in the party was armed, none of them were brandishing their weapons.  One stepped forward. 

“Odin Child.”  Lightning looked the woman in the eye, but didn’t react.  “Come with me.” 

She was about to argue, but Odin’s voice filled her head.  _‘Go.  She will take you to her.’_   Slowly, she nodded to the woman.  She knew better than to question Odin.

The women said nothing else as they lead her across the city to a small building the certainly looked like it had seen better days.  She was lead inside by the woman who had spoken while the others remained outside.  She quickly glanced around.  It appeared to be a place of healing.  Several jars and baskets lined shelves against one wall, a series of doorless archways lined the other.  A small girl sat upon a mat on the floor as a woman was placing clean bandages around her middle.

“Sybil Ava,” the woman who had led her in spoke, drawing her attention to another woman as she stepped through one of the archways. 

“Ah.  She’s arrived.”  She nodded a bit to herself, wiping her hands on a bloodstained cloth.  “Thank you Daya.”  She said in dismissal.

Her guide- Daya, apparently- hesitated to leave.  “You will send word?”

Ava smiled softly.  “Of course.”  She made a bit of a shooing motion with her hands.  Daya bowed her head before leaving.  Ava turned to Light.  “My apologies.  I’m sure this has been something of a fright.”

“Where is Fang?”  She was in no mood to play games.  She wanted to see Fang and know she was alright.

Ava smiled again, though Light wasn’t certain why.  She turned to look at the child before nodding.  “She is here.”  Lightning followed her back through the archway, pausing only a moment to look over at the child, who she was aware had been staring at her the entire time. 

Any thought she had to the girl was pushed from her mind when she saw Fang lying in the bed, unusually pale.  She’d been stripped of her sari but was still clothed in her black shorts and halter top.  Bandages covered her upper arm on the right side.  They were tinted green, probably by whatever herbalist remedy they had applied to the injury.

Her heart constricted as she knelt down next to the low cot that Fang rested on, but the huntress didn’t move.  This was nothing like the reunion she’d imagined they would have.  Gingerly, she took Fang’s left hand in one of her own and brushed some hair from where it was sticking to her sweat slickened face with the other.

“What happened?”  She asked softly, as if afraid to wake her.  Though all she wanted was for Fang to open her eyes and assure her that she was alright.

“Mountain behemoth venom.”  Light tore her eyes away from Fang long enough to look back at the older woman.  “It is fatal if untreated.. luckily, Bahamut returned her to us in time.”  She smiled softly and placed a reassuring hand on Light’s shoulder.  “She will be fine.  She just needs rest while the anti-venom works.”

“How-?”  Fang wasn’t stupid.  A wound of this caliber would only come from something unusual happening.

“I was about to find out myself.”  She looked back at the woman again as she stepped over to the archway and motioned for someone to enter.  When she turned and sat down in one of the two chairs in the room, the girl she had seen in the other room followed her in.

Crimson met blue as they looked at each other.  “You’re Lightning.”

Even Ava looked a bit surprised, but quickly admonished her for being rude.  “Veda.”

“Sorry.”  Light watched as the girl looked over to Fang, her expression sad.

“What happened?”  Lightning spoke now, her tone softer.

The girl looked to Ava, then back to Fang before settling on Light.  “We were out by Dagger Falls…”

 


	11. Chapter 11

****

Veda climbed up to the bluff for her morning lesson.  She had been informed that she was to go up on her own and meet Fang there.  Fang was already there and had apparently been there awhile already.  She was going through the more advanced forms with her lance. 

Though she had seen the forms before, it was rare she got the opportunity to observe warriors going through them.  Fang had a fluid grace to her movement that she rarely saw in anyone.  Some warriors were brash, perfectly harsh in everything they did; Veda had imagined Fang might be like that.  However in the few days they had been training together, she had come to see that the Dragon was, in a way, just another warrior.  To her, the simplification seemed almost derogatory but she had come to realize that’s what Fang wanted to be.  She didn’t want to be classified as the beast she could become.

She was..  human.

Veda wasn’t sure if that was better or not.  Of course she knew Fang was Ragnarok.  Everyone in Artemi knew as much.  She had thought she would hate her, but since their first meeting among the ruins, she hadn’t been able to.  Fang was nothing like she expected, and the woman had taken great care with her; care no one else really seemed to want, or be able to give.

She was pulled from her thoughts as Fang’s lance was speared into the ground a few feet away.  She was smiling at her.  “Y’awake?”

Veda nodded.  “I was just thinking.”

“Something y’wanna say?”  The girl shook her head.  It wasn’t anything she wanted to speak of just yet.  Fang only nodded in reply as she sat down on the grass. 

Confused, Veda watched her.  “Aren’t we going through the forms today?”

“In a minute.”  She began going through a series of stretches.  Unprompted, Veda sat down and started to mirror the exercises.  Fang grinned as she watched her.  “Do you know the significance of the first form?”

“Movement,” she immediately replied.  She’d been drilled on the idea several times.

Fang nodded.  “The second?”

“Flexibility.”

“Third?”

There was silence as Veda stilled, trying to remember.  Fang waited.  “Defensive movement?”

Fang nodded.  “Good.  And the fourth?”

If the third was Defense, logically, the fourth was, “Offensive movement?”

Fang nodded again and stood.  Veda followed suit.  “The third and fourth are nice on their own, they teach you the basic movements that you will use in hand to hand combat.  It’s overly simple compared to a real fight, but it gives you something to build on.”  Veda nodded, not entirely sure what she was getting at.  Fang motioned for her to step closer.  “Go through the third form.  Keep repeating it ‘till I tell you to stop.”

She nodded, eyes narrowed just a bit with uncertainty.  Uncertain or not, she stepped into the first stance and began moving through the form with the confidence she had built up over the time she’d been training with Fang.  Once she completed the form and started it over, Fang began to move. 

Each stance that Fang took interacted with her own stance like a slow, choreographed dance.  After the first three stances, she realized Fang was going through the fourth form.  Recognition lit in her eyes and Fang grinned.  “At the end of the third, go into the fourth.”

When she finished the third form, she moved into the fourth and noted that Fang moved back to the third.  Flawlessly, they switched between offence and defense and again their stances interacted in the same dance.  When they finished the form, Fang took a step back.

“Puts things into perspective yeah?”  Veda nodded, wondering how she’d never made the connection before.  “Do you know what the purpose of the fifth form is?”

Veda thought on that a moment.  She didn’t even know the fifth form yet.  She had watched some of the older castes working on it, but it wasn’t as straightforward as the others and she hadn’t really thought on it much.  Finally she just shook her head.

“Fifth form is Adaptability.”

“How can you adapt with a set form?”

Fang grinned.  ‘Clever girl.’  “There is no set form.”

“But how-“

Fang raised a hand to cut her off.  “Listen now, because it gets tricky.  Everything you know from the first four is fair game for the fifth.  Really, I always figured the fifth form was just a fancy way of saying a mock fight.”

That made a bit more sense to Veda, Fang could tell as her posture and expression changed.  “I guess that’s why it didn’t make sense when I watched the older girls.  They were just going through movements that didn’t look like they had anything to do with each other.”

“Ever watch them spar?” 

She nodded slowly.  “The group I was stuck with just started sparring.”  Her cheeks colored a bit as she looked down at the ground.  “After the first few times when they wouldn’t let me participate, I snuck off to watch the older castes or the warriors.”

To her surprise, Fang only chuckled.  “I probably would have too if I were you.”  She sobered and looked thoughtful.  “So they practiced the movements a lot before ever sparring?”  Veda nodded.  “Feh.  That’s like stalling.  You’re gonna learn like I did.”  She motioned for her to stand before her, so she took a step closer.  “Gonna go real slow.  I’ll move into a stance, you pick the right one to counter it.  Don’t worry about speed just yet, ok?”

Veda nodded and watched Fang adjust her body and move into an offensive stance.  She slowly moved into the opposite stance from the third form.  “Good.” Fang moved into a new stance, and Veda again adjusted her own to the counter.  “Good.”

After about an hour, Veda was able to read which stance Fang was taking right as she started into it.  It made for fairly quick succession and Veda was breathing a bit hard while Fang had barely broken a sweat.  Finally Fang stepped back, signaling the end of the sequence.  “Not bad at all kiddo.”

Veda smirked.  “It’s not that hard.  The movement gives it away.”

“I want you to watch the other caste tomorrow and tell me if it looks quite as easy as you think it is.”  She collected her lance and motioned for Veda to follow as she left the bluff.  Judging by the position of the sun, it was still early morning, perhaps 8 am.

As they moved away from the bluff, Veda could tell they weren’t headed back into the city.  “Where are we going?”

“The falls.”

“Why?”

Fang laughed.  “Y’did good, so I thought I’d treat you to something I enjoyed when I was younger.”  Unsure what she meant by that, she followed quietly.

Dagger Falls was outside the protected valley, but not off limits.  The Matron had taken the older caste there several times, and Veda had been lucky enough to get to tag along.  There was nothing particularly special about it, it was just a decent sized clearing with relatively slow moving current in the river.  The falls themselves were hardly falls at all, just a series of small drops most under a meter tall.  Veda remembered thinking they were more like big steps with water running over them.  One ‘step’ had a sort of pocket behind the water.  She had hidden there once playing hide and seek with the older Caste.

Nothing had changed since she had been there last, so she was confused why Fang would take her there.  The day wasn’t warm enough for playing in the water, which was usually why people would go there.

“Ah perfect!”  Fang, almost childlike in her excitement jogged over to a rather ancient looking tree at the edge of the clearing.  “See, they’re ripe now.” She stated, pointing up at the fruit from the tree.

“Guli fruit?”  She scrunched up her face.  “Isn’t that poisonous?”

Fang laughed.  “If you don’t know how to treat it, sure.  But if you do.. it’s delicious!”  She lifted her lance and poked at the tree until one of the deep blue colored fruit fell.  She caught it in one hand and brandished her prize.  It was hard and round, about the size of a small melon and covered in lighter blue markings that reminded her of spider webs.  “We’ll take it back and I’ll show you how to make it.”

Veda did not look convinced.  “If it’s so good, why doesn’t everyone know how?”

“It’s not a Yun thing.  There aren’t many Guli trees out here.  This one was a whole lot smaller when I was a kid..”  She shook her head.  “There were plenty out near Oerba.  Vanille taught got me hooked on the blasted things.”  She smirked at the expression on Veda’s face.  “I guess it was a Dia thing.. but it really _is_ tasty.”

She handed the fruit to Veda, then turned to poke at the tree and try to get a second one, but they were all too high.  She began to climb as Veda watched.  “Then maybe you should get enough to share with Dia Ooma.”

“Y’know, that might be a good idea.”  Her voice trailed off some as she placed a hand against the tree.   Had it just.. shuddered?  It had.  And the trembling was getting stronger.  Below her on the ground, Veda had apparently noticed as well. 

Fruit hunting forgotten, Fang dropped from the tree.  She could feel it through the ground.  “Veda.”  The girl was startled by all the shaking, but looked up at the tone in Fang’s voice.  Something was wrong.  “Go back to the city.”

“What’s going on?” 

Fang stood, anxiously pushing her in the direction of the path home.  “Don’t question, just go!  Run!”  But there wasn’t even time to do that.  The rumbling was constant, but softer.  Changing her mind, she grabbed Veda’s arm before she could start running.

“What?” 

A hand covered her mouth for a moment to quiet her before Fang whispered, “We’re surrounded.  Shh.  Maybe they’ll go by..”  She pulled her back slowly, in the shade of the giant Guli tree.

Veda had no idea how she knew that, or what they were surrounded by, but the ground shaking was enough to tell her it was something big and if there were enough to surround them, then that was bad.

Fang on the other hand, knew if they were surrounded, it was done purposely, unless the creatures were staking out the area as a possible watering hole.. but if they were as big as she thought, there was no reason to do so.  From the size, she could tell they were top predators.  From the speed at which they’d come, there were precious few possibilities and all of them bad.

A sound behind them forced her to move.  She pushed Veda ahead of her as a tree fell and slammed into the Guli tree they were hiding beneath.  The force of it made the Guli shudder and fruit started to rain down of them.  Fang tried to shield Veda by leaning over her as best she could and grunted as one of the fruit hit her in the back.  It was like getting hit with a rock and she’d definitely have the bruise to show for it later. 

Once they were safe from falling fruit, Fang moved in front of Veda as she twisted her lance.  When the blades snapped into place, Veda knew this was a dire situation.  She was afraid.  She screamed as the Behemoth burst into the cleaning.

 

 

 

“And then what happened?”

The girl had tears in her eyes, though Light knew she was trying her best not to cry.  “I don’t know.  I hid behind the falls, I couldn’t see the fight.  I knew she was hurt..  I heard her swear when she was hit.  and then I guess Bahamut arrived.  He killed one of the behemoth.. it was still in the water when Fang called me out, but all the others had run off.”

“And then Bahamut brought you back to Artemi?” Ava prompted her gently. 

The girl nodded, tears slipping from her eyes.  “I’m sorry..  I wasn’t strong.  I couldn’t help her.”  Ava slid from the chair and enveloped her in her arms, muffling the girl’s sobbing against her shoulder as she made soothing sounds and rubbed her back.

“Shhhh.  Hush now.  Everything is alright.”

Lightning looked away to allow them the moment as she focused on Fang again.

When she heard shuffling, she noticed Ava leading the child out.  Lighting pulled one of the chairs closer to the bed and sat down, unsure what else to do.  She returned after a few moments the older woman returned and sat back down in the other chair.  They sat in silence for a few moments before Lightning spoke.  “There isn’t anything I can do, is there.”

“No,” Ava’s tone was soft.  She understood feeling helpless.  “She will sleep for about a week if Etro is smiling on her.”

“A week?”

She nodded, though Lightning wasn’t looking to see it.  “The venom is quite painful, and the anti-venom doesn’t soothe that much.  We find it is more merciful to allow a victim to sleep as they heal.  Ooma will likely try to keep her asleep and spare her the extra stress.  The body heals faster when asleep anyhow.”

It was Lightning’s turn to nod.  She sat back in her chair, getting a little more comfortable, though she didn’t release Fang’s hand.  Her gaze moved to Ava.  “Who are you?”

Ava smiled apologetically.  “Ah.  Yes, manners went out the window due to crisis.  I am Yun Ava.”  She motioned to the archway in the general direction she had taken the girl.  “The child is Yun Veda, and the woman who brought you here was Yun Daya.”

As if with perfect timing, an elderly woman appeared in the doorway.  Her skin was worn and wrinkled, cheeks sunken in with age.  She shuffled a little as she entered the room, smiling in a sort of oblivious, grandmotherly way.  “And this is Dia Ooma.”

“Dia?”  Lightning asked, surprised. 

It was Ooma who replied, a jollyness to her voice that was somehow comforting.  “There are many clans represented here in Artemi.”  She moved to the opposite side of Fang’s bed and went about checking on her.

Recalling one of many conversations with Vanille, it dawned on her that she should have expected that.  “You’re pledged to Yun,” she wondered aloud. 

Ooma laughed and nodded. “My clan gave up the old ways.  I am an old woman now, but I was young when they gave them up.  I did not wish to give them up.  I had heard the Yun welcomed those wishing to retain the old ways.. so I asked the Huntress in the village to bring me here.”  She smiled again, spreading her hands.  “I have never wanted to leave.  Artemi has become my home.. And in turn, I serve the Yun.”

“So you’re a healer.”

Ava smiled.  “Ooma is the best healer we have, though there are other Dia who apprentice under her.”

Lightning relaxed a little more, that information giving her some amount of comfort.

“Veda said your name is Lightning?”

Her eyes moved back to Ava.  “Lightning Farron.”

Ava nodded.  “You are from Cocoon.”  She hesitated to answer, unsure.  Ava smiled.  “It is alright child.  Yun did not specifically fight in the war.  Yun live by a code.. and that code states that an enemy makes themselves.”  She could tell Lightning didn’t quite understand.  “Hmm.  It means that everyone is treated as a neutral party until they prove themselves as friend or foe.  Unfortunately.. Many Yun have known people from Cocoon only as enemies.”

She nodded slightly.  “So if I had attacked the group that surrounded me..”

Ava nodded, “they would have treated you in turn, and likely, you’d be captive instead of sitting here.”

There was something she still didn’t quite understand.  “Why wouldn’t you fight in the war?  To protect your homes?”

“We did.  When Cocoon attacked on Pulsan soil, Yun reacted in kind.  However Yun never joined any force to attack Cocoon directly.”  She smiled and motioned to Fang.  “With one exception, of course.”

“Why would Fang break your code?”

“She was an angry child.”  Ooma spoke softly, smoothing Fang’s hair from her face in a motherly way.  Her voice was filled with sorrow.  “Each time I saw her she was angry.  Always fighting to be stronger so she could defeat those who angered her.  I have never claimed to understand Yun ways.. but they are not my ways.  A child needs guidance outside of training. I believe she was angry at the world.. perhaps for the loss of her mother.”  She shook her head sadly as she left the room.

Light couldn’t prevent the slightly shocked look on her face as it dawned on her that they must have been alive when Fang was little, though she wasn’t certain how that was possible.  “How..?”

Ava took a moment to explain that the clan had been in crystal sleep, though she did not explain how just yet.

Ava and Lightning both let the moment lengthen, then Ava returned to the previous question.  “However, Ooma is partially correct.  I believe Fang was affected by the loss of her mother.  She amazed us all by surviving her death.. but the scars remain.  She has always had trouble relating to others.”

“ Did you know her well?  She wasn’t here that often was she?”

“Oh.. no.  But I was in charge of her caste, which made it my business to know.  Delta kept me informed of everything, as it was my job to make her case to the elders.  Delta always told me of her worries; told me that Fang allowed precious few to get close to her.  The Dia girl, Vanilla?”

“Vanille,” Light mumbled, correcting her.

“Yes, Vanille.  Aside from Delta herself, Vanille is the only one Fang ever concerned herself over.  But you must understand.. those are bonds, not simple relationships.”

“Bonds?”  What little of bonds Vanille had told her did not seem to fit into the situation, too much information was missing.

“Yes.”  She thought a moment before speaking again.  “Bonds are more difficult to explain.  But they are very important to a Yun’s life.”

Lightning sighed softly and rubbed the back of Fang’s hand with her thumb.  “I seem to have the time to listen.”

Ava smiled.  She liked this girl.


	12. Chapter 12

****

They allowed her to sleep, with promise of discussion the following day.  After a small meal, Ooma produced a mat and moved the chairs so that it could be unrolled near the bed.  Lightning was grateful they didn’t ask her to leave the room, though she had a feeling morning would bring about a change.

And it did.  After some prompting from both Ava and Ooma, Lightning relented to leave Fang’s side.  Ava told her she would actually feel better physically for doing so and once she was out of the building, she admitted she felt marginally better.  Ava simply smiled.  Lightning got the impression she knew more than she was letting on just yet.

As they left Ooma’s place, she watched Ava nod to another woman, who went in.  At the question in her eyes, Ava explained as she began walking.  “Yun Kaz.”  She stated.  “She is of Fang’s caste.  She will keep an eye on her and notify us if anything changes.”

“What does that mean?  Her caste?”

“It means she is from the same birth cycle as Fang.  Though technically, Fang was born outside the cycle.”  She waved a hand as if to say that was of little consequence.  “For you to understand bonds, you must understand that the Yun are.. different from other clans.”

“So I gathered.  Vanille said there was a lot of secrecy surrounding the Yun.”

Ava nodded slowly.  “It was unfortunately necessary for a long time.  Yun were not very.. accepted once many clans started following Universal Law.  We refused, as it would render us unable to fulfill our purpose.”

“What purpose would that be?”

Ava smiled and opened her arms in an encompassing motion.  “To protect life.”  She said it as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.  To her, perhaps it was.

Lightning felt like someone was laughing at her.  There was a joke somewhere, she was sure.  Fang had been _very_ proficient at _taking_ lives over the time that they had known each other.  Hunters, by nature, took lives and in her mind, warriors were much the same.  She felt the need to point out the obvious.  “Warriors.. and _hunters_..  You take life.”

Ava laughed, fueling Light’s irritation.  “Yes, we do.  But you are a soldier.  You should understand that lives are lost in preservation of others.”  Light could not dispute that fact, so Ava continued.  “You see, Fal’cie were created in an effort to recall a god that would destroy us all.  Not just the Fal’cie.. but humans and all the beasts of Gran Pulse, great and small.”  She paused, then amended, “Of Gran Pulse _and_ Cocoon.  Though that came later.”  She waved it off.  “We are hunters, yes.  Yun controlled hunting for hundreds of years.  Yun hunters led the hunt parties in most villages..  it allowed us to control the population of the wild life.  It also gave us the ability to ensure no creature was over hunted, or hunted purely for sport.  As Warriors, Yun would protect the villages they lived and served in.”

Light nodded, that made more sense when thinking that the people of Gran Pulse had to hunt for food, it would be unwise to overhunt any particular animal and upset the natural balance.

“You did not have to think of such things on Cocoon?”

She shook her head.  “The Fal’cie provided everything we needed.  Hunting in any fashion was more a game of skill.  Few people did it, but even if too many had, the Fal’cie would just replace the animals that were taken.”

Ava nodded, though the thought obviously bothered her.  These were the people currently occupying Pulsan lands, and continuing to spread.  Light noticed and placed a hand on her shoulder, forcing her to stop walking again to look at her.  “Fang’s influence has taught us that we can’t think like that anymore.  Most of the animals used for food are farm raised, not hunted.”  Though Lightning could see the irony in such a thing, she didn’t comment on that.

That only seemed to make the older woman feel slightly better, but she nodded.  “I appreciate you saying so, it has been one of our worries as we became aware of the situation.  At any rate, protecting life has been our purpose for nearly two thousand years.”

“Two _thousand_?”  Her mind boggled at that.  She had no idea life on Pulse was that old.  Add another to the list of lies they had been told on Cocoon.

“Well, that it roughly how far back our written history here in Artemi goes.”  She smiled again.  She continued walking down the cobblestone road.  The women they passed would stop and look, but thankfully didn’t stare.  Lightning understood they knew she was not their usual visitor, but at least they weren’t treating her like some kind of freak show. 

She stopped a few minutes later, outside a long building.  Aside from its length, Lightning could see nothing overtly different of this building than any of the others.  It had been repaired enough for use, but it still looked run down and decrepit.  Ava opened the door and ushered her inside.

A hush fell over a room far more packed than she had expected.  Mostly young girls were assembled, though she couldn’t say any looked as young as Veda.  A few adults were mixed into the group and several elderly.  All of their faces were turned to them, but Ava simply smiled and waved a hand as if telling them to continue on.

As she pulled Lightning off to the side where a few adults had made room for them, she leaned over and softly told her, “If it makes you feel any better, they are making note of my presence more so than yours.”

Light wanted to ask why, but her attention was drawn as again a hush fell over the assembled group as an elderly women entered and sat down on a mat before the fire, which had been the only place not crowded over. Her back was to the flames, her front to the assembled women and girls.  Curiously, she watched and then listened as the woman began to speak. 

Despite her apparent age, her voice was strong, clear and somewhat boisterous.  “Welcome everyone!  It’s so nice to see the old stories have not lost favor…”  There was a murmur of soft laughter before she continued.  “What story shall we begin with today my dears?”

There was a rush of requests as she looked over the crowd, but all were silenced as the story teller turned her dark eyes to Ava.  “Ah Sybil Ava..  Your presence honors me.  You wish to hear a story?”

“I thought you might tell the story of Artemi today.”  She glanced at Lightning for a moment as if pointing her out.  “I believe you tell it so much better than I.”

The old woman pinned her gaze on Lightning for a moment, her face blank, if not suspicious, but after a moment her smile returned.  “I think that is a wonderful story to tell!  What do all of you think?”

There was applause and positive words thrown to her and she seemed pleased.  “Yes, yes.. I think that is a good story..  It is good for us to remember our roots!”

As the woman continued on, Ava once again leaned toward Lightning.  “I ask you to listen.. I will answer questions you have later.”  Lightning only nodded and leaned back against the wall, getting comfortable since it seemed they would be there awhile as the old woman drew their attention again.

“The story of Artemi begins in times of old, before the clans had truly become clans..  These were the ages of the Primal Wars..  People in those days were fresh from Etro’s river, and still finding their way in the world.  But Pulse and Lindzei had already begun to taint their minds and turn them away from Etro’s wisdom.

“The Yun, in this time were not nearly so strong as they are now.  They were no stronger than any others.  Hunters, yes.  They were hunters.  But they hunted by trap rather than spear.”  A slew of whispers rose from the younger girls, but they were quickly silenced by the adults.

“It was in these days that the Yun began to mold themselves differently from the rest.  Yun continued to follow Etro, even when those around them did not.  But it was this difference; this intolerance of another’s belief that spurred their neighbors into war.

“The Yun were not strong enough to win that war,” she shook her head, “no..  not then.  But while they were defeated, they were not lost.  The Priestess, Artemi vowed to save her clan, would only Etro show her the way.”

She waved a hand over the heads of the girls closest to her and Lightning smiled at the showmanship of her telling.  “When they thought they had been abandoned, Etro sent Artemi a vision!  I vision of freedom.”  She pulled a small vial from her robes and drizzled some of its contents into a bowl on the floor, which Lightning had been unable to see before.  Smoke of some kind rose in front of the storyteller, and she waved her hands through it, making it swirl.  “’Rally against your captors.’ She told her.  ‘Rally and flee!’”  There was a pop and several of the girls jumped, startled.  “And she saw a vision of the mountains..  and she knew that was where they needed to go.

“When their captors came, they came to break their spirits.. but instead, they found death.”  The smoke swirled again, ominously.  “The Yun, and others that had been enslaved with them, broke free and moved with haste to whatever their fate would be.

“But they were pursued..  For how dare women stand against men!  Their foes allied with others who felt such devils needed to be struck from their world.  They pursued, but Artemi continued to lead her people toward the mountains.  Once there, they continued into the mountains, though they knew this was forbidden.”

The fire pit behind her crackled to life, startling Light, though she made no outward sign of it save for a widening of her eyes.  She wondered who was controlling all the ‘special effects’.

“But Artemi was certain Etro would provide for her daughters, so they moved on while their pursuers were too afraid to follow.  The mountains were harsh then, even as they are now.  The journey was treacherous and fraught with obstacles. Fenrir sent beasts to drive the Yun out! 

“But they continued on, cleverly trapping or evading the beasts, using their human intellect to their benefit.  They made it to this very valley before Bahamut intervened.  Where his lesser had failed, he certainly would not!” 

She smeared some sort of black substance on her face, then crinkled it up and- Lightning guessed- was trying to impersonate the dragon that still rested just outside the city.  “’You are not welcome here!  Humans bring destruction wherever they step!’”

She relaxed her face.  “But Artemi knew that Etro had sent them.  And she was struck with a new vision; a vision of a great city and harmony.  And she knew how to accomplish that.”  The old woman stood, puffing herself up with pride.  “She fearlessly stepped up to the mighty Dragon King and offered the Clan to his mercies.  ‘We will pledge ourselves to the sacred duties of the Guardians and serve Etro’s creations!’  But Bahamut was unsure.  He granted the women haven for the night while he pondered this offer.  He sought guidance from Mother Etro, on what he should do.

“And Etro told him to accept and benefit from their offer as if it were her own.  And so he did!”  There was a round of cheers.  “Bahamut accepted to be bound to the Yun and we so bound to him, through sacrifice.  Artemi’s blood bound us to him, and that bond remains to this day!

“But Artemi had to give herself for that bond to form.  But Etro provides..  Etro provides for her daughters.  Artemi died a mortal death to ascend!”  She raised her arms and looked toward the ceiling.  Lightning shifted; it had gotten.. windy for a moment, but then it stopped.  Finally, the storyteller lowered her arms and looked back over the assembled listeners.  “With her ascended power, Artemi created a protective barrier within this valley.  And then she began to mold the Yun.  She began to alter them in ways to provide the best service to the purpose. 

“She made them stronger; she made them faster.  She gave them senses to rival the wild.  She gave them everything they needed to become the Warriors they needed to be.  And even when that was done, she continued to mold them; to make them more efficient.

“But her power was dependent on the same women who were so dependent upon her.  She set forth rules for them to follow, rules designed not to control them, but to aid in keeping her power strong, so that she could keep them strong in turn.  Artemi was formed on female energy, so no males were welcome into the valley, as male energies would taint her power.  She set forth the code, to which all Yun would follow.  She told them to welcome all women here..  That this place would be a haven for women in a world of men.  But she told them not to judge men.  She told them that they were not evil by nature, and should not be treated as such.  She told them to go forth and make their presence in the world known, but to always return to raise their daughters; always return and keep the clan strong.”  She smiled softly, finally sitting once again.  She touched her fingers to the cheeks of a few of the girls around her.  “And so we have.  The Yun have survived when others could not.  And with the last of her power, Artemi assured we would have the chance to continue living even beyond her.”

At the rush of questions that came forth, Light got the idea that this was a newer addition to the story.  But the old women looked so tired, she waved them off.  “Ah, sorry my dears.. I will have to answer your questions one at a time..  Now be mindful of each other..”

But Lightning didn’t get to listen to the questions as Ava tugged at her arm and led her from the building.  Once they were outside and the door was closed again, she turned to her expectantly.

“How much of that is true?”

“Most, if not all.  It is our history as we understand it.. but realize that there is no written account of Artemi, it is a story that was passed to us and written down later when we started using written word.”

Light nodded, that was understandable, but it also meant that it _could_ all be a lie and they wouldn’t even know.  She didn’t feel the need to press the issue.. she knew exactly how shattering it could be to learn your entire existence was based on lies.

She followed Ava as she moved on down the street.  “So I have questions..”

“Of course.”

“Were all the men of the clan killed in that original war?”

Ava nodded.  “It was common practice then to kill all males of a conquered clan.  Women were barely recognized as the same species.. they were little more than slaves and breeding equipment to most, so they were passed to the victors as such.”

While the thought sickened her, she supposed that was understandable in some backwards way.  “She said humans were Etro’s creation.”

“As they are.  Though Etro was mostly squeezed out of lore even here on Gran Pulse.. I can only imagine what little would make it to Cocoon.”

“Etro is referred to as Death.”

Ava nodded and turned down another street.  “On Gran Pulse as well.”

“So why would they call her Death if she protected life?”

“It is a complicated matter.  Etro created humans in her attempt to destroy herself.  It was not a conscious effort, and therefore humans were.. imperfect in many ways.  But it was in those imperfections that Etro grew fond of her creations.  Imagine, in a world where life was created with a purpose to continue indefinitely, she accidently introduced a creature that was born only to die, which had not true purpose.  Our lives are terribly short and insignificant to them.  Etro took interest in our ability to not only make do with that shortness, but _thrive_ as a species. 

“Etro is chaos.  Chaos can create, but it can also destroy.  That is the way of things.  Chaos fills humans, as we were created from it.  It is the reason we have emotions, the reason we have a choice in how we conduct our lives.  But it is also the nature of things to seek order.  And so humans do that.  We create our own order out of chaos..  By following the example of life around us and expanding upon it via our intellect.”

“So basically by watching the Fal’cie.”

“Yes.  Fal’cie were each created with a purpose; a specific focus, if you will.  Humans attempted to emulate that, and the Clans became very specialized.  Pulse and Lindzei cast their influence, which allowed that to flourish, since Etro herself could not directly intervene.  She can direct things, you see, but she cannot force anyone to act on those directions.  Unfortunately, humans have too many needs to support such a lifestyle.  If you have an entire village of people who all do the same thing well, little else gets done.”

“So the clans would mix to avoid that.”

“Some did.  Some attempted to change their fate and become unspecialized.  They encouraged their people to do other things and only some people to do what they were specialized in.  Here,” she motioned to the city, “We have welcomed many from other clans to fill in our deficiencies.  Yun are quite talented, but we simply can’t do everything and still be the Warriors needed for our purpose.”

Lightning nodded slowly as she walked alongside her.  “That makes sense.  So you would bring others here to fill in.  Like Dia Ooma.”

“Yes, exactly.  We have a great deal of clans mixed in here.  Dia healers, Cobar artisans, Nih scribes.”  She rolled her wrist a few times.  “Among many others.”

“Fascinating.”  She thought for a moment, trying to decide on her next question; she had so many.  “If Lindzei pushed the specialization, why would he abandon that practice with people on Cocoon?”

Ava cast a glance to her.  “I think you know the answer to that.”

She narrowed her eyes as she thought that over, and realized she did.  “It wasn’t important.  He gave humans a focus on Cocoon; specifically, multiply.  And then he gave them the means to do so quickly.  What they could do was not important, he only needed the sacrifice.” 

Ava nodded. 

“Alright..  Let’s go back to bonds.  That’s why you took me there to listen isn’t it?  But it wasn’t included in the story.”

“It was necessary for you to understand that Yun were changed to fit their tasks.  In many ways, we have the same mannerisms as some of the beasts we hunt.  We have a breeding cycle, we are more sharply attuned to the world around us that other humans.  We also form very strong bonds which give us the ability to leave our young right away.  That developed over a very long time, and expanded.  The first bond a Yun will ever know is that to her mother.  That bond is so strong, that it’s sudden severing can kill a child.”

“That’s why you said you were amazed Fang survived her mother’s death.”

“Yes.  Normally, a child doesn’t have the ability to sever that bond until around the age of five.  Some can do it as early as two, but it is very few.  Currently, there are only two who have survived younger than that.”

“That you’re aware of.”

“Yes, but I assure you, since written word, Yun have kept very meticulous records.”  Lightning nodded.  “Fang, of course is the first, and she remains the youngest.”

“Her mother died in childbirth.”  Ava again cast a glance at her, and Lightning shrugged.  “Delta explained it to Vanille, and Vanille told me.”

“I see.  Well yes, you are correct anyhow.  Yun Zera..  She was a Huntress, as I am.”  Her voice dropped upon speaking her name, a sadness washing over her.

Zera; Light now had a name for Fang’s mother.  “What does that mean?  I thought you were all hunters?”

“Not exactly..  It is somewhat how it turned out because of the war, but actually there are three different classes of warriors, and for every post, one of each would be sent.  Traditionally, you would have a Huntress, a Sentry and a Scout.  The Huntress was charged with controlling the hunts while the Sentry was more in charge of security of the village they were posted at.  The Scout on the other hand, was almost always on the move, carrying news back and forth between Artemi and the post.  During the war, our numbers were reduced and we were spread very thin, so often a post was cut down to one warrior that had to cover both the position of Huntress and Sentry, while Scouts would be so busy covering several posts that some posts went months without hearing anything or being able to send information.

“Each class has slightly different abilities, and all Yun fall into one of those classes except a select few who are gifted Seers.. and Seers do not train as warriors at all once those abilities set in. 

“Huntresses are physically strong and have the strongest connection with the natural world.  Our senses are the most acute among the clan.  Some Huntresses have been known to predict earthquakes, eruptions, even weather patterns just from reading what our senses tell us.  Of course, some are better at interpreting sensory information than others, and some are more sensitive to certain things than others.  Fang, as I recall, had a wondrous sense of smell even compared amongst seasoned Huntresses.”

Light nodded.  “She was always able to smell things none of the rest of us could.  She never complained if we were unable to bathe, but there were times when she knew an enemy was approaching by scent alone.”

“You are rather observant I think.”  Ava smiled.  “Daya, the warrior you saw upon your arrival last night, is a Sentry.  Sentries are very smart, cunning warriors.  They quickly analyze the world around them and act accordingly.  Where Huntresses are usually very passionate about life, Sentries often appear cold to those around them because they carefully control their emotions.  Physically, they are generally a balanced mix of strength and speed.”  She smiled at Light. “You strike me as the Sentry type.”

She didn’t comment as Ava continued.  “And then you have Scouts.  Scouts are fast and agile.  They rely on speed more than anything else.  Their eyesight in the dark is even better than most Huntresses, which helps them to be the stealthiest warriors the Yun have to offer.  Scouts are more likely to avoid a fight of course.. since their main priority is to run information, they will do so in the quickest manner available.  They are very capable warriors though, and can hold their own against Sentries and Huntresses.  Kaz, the one we left to watch Fang?  She is a Scout.”

“Does your clothing have something to do with your class?” She wondered aloud, having seen several variations of roughly the same few types of clothing as they had walked through the city.

“Sometimes.  A sari is the mark of a Huntress.”  Light nodded.  “Sentries wear leather and sometimes light armor of sorts.  Scouts wear lighter woven clothing.  However there are some who wear something more specific.  Daya’s party, you may have noticed, all wear black leather.  That is because they are a specialized unit.  They are an Enforcement Squad.. but many refer to them as a Hit Squad.”

“What does an Enforcement Squad do?”

“Enforce the law, generally.  When most of the Clans had switched to Universal Law, our interactions with those clans were governed by treaties.  Those treaties stated that we were outside the law.  However that didn’t mean we could run amok and do as we pleased.  We were only allowed that freedom because of the Yun code.  So when a Yun stepped outside the code, an Enforcement Squad was sent to set them straight.  Sometimes that meant returning the offender here for trial.  Others, if the offender refused to come peacefully, it gave the Enforcers the right to kill them.”

“That seems harsh.” 

“It does I suppose.. but you must understand that any infraction was liable to make the treaties null and void.  We had to ensure that the code was followed and that it was very obvious what would happen if it wasn’t.  There were very few who challenged it.” 

As they entered another building, Lightning realized she had strayed off track again.  Perhaps Ava was allowing her to do so.  She was quiet as Ava led her to a table and they sat down.

Lightning realized they had entered an eatery of some kind.  Her stomach rumbled in appreciation as a woman brought two plates and set them on the table before them.  The woman gave a nod before scurrying back off.

“As I understand it, outside, they tend to give more choice.  Here in Artemi, we always eat whatever is prepared, unless we opt to prepare our own kills within our line homes.  We have little way of refrigeration here, so hunting is done daily to satisfy the needs of the clan.”

Lightning nodded as she poked at the food on her plate.  It looked like breakfast.. eggs, some sort of meat and potatoes.  Ava smiled.  “We may be hunters, but we do farm some things as well,” She stated, poking at a bit of potato.  “Though I suppose the argument could be made that we farmed our prey animals as well.  We nurtured the herds in the surrounding valleys to be big enough to sustain the clan without having to travel too far to hunt, or risk wiping any of the herds out.”

Light nodded as she took a bite.  It was good, especially when compared to the charred meat and wild vegetation she’d been surviving off of throughout her trip.  She allowed the conversation to die as they ate, but vowed to return to the subject of bonds after.

 

 

 

Once they finished eating and left the eatery, Ava led her to the amphitheater in the center of the bustling part of the city.  It was mostly empty, only a few small groups of bystanders were sitting upon the tiered basin walls to watch the sparring going on in the center.

The basin itself was fairly impressive.  It appeared to be carved into the ground, each tier like steps that lead down to the flattened ground in the center.  From overhead, Light could imagine it looked like a giant target; all concentric circles inlaid upon each other.  The central circle, or stage, was large enough to house just about any sport Light could name, including Chocobo Polo, which had a habit of expanding as the game went on.  Though it was a ground of stone rather than grass as Chocobo Polo would be played.

The small groups were scattered around the outer rings, sitting on the carved out steps to watch the sparring.  They appeared to be teens, and Light could tell not all of them were paying attention to the warriors in the center.

“They are observing the warriors as they await their chance to use the stage.”  Ava supplied as she sat down on the outermost tier, right at the top of the basin.  Light followed her example and sat next to her.  “This will be the first use of the main stage for some of them.  And that group,” she pointed toward the group closest to them, which looked younger than any of the others, “is only here to observe.  They probably just began sparring recently, so once the warriors finish, they will probably return to a smaller ring to practice.”

Lightning looked them over.  They were maybe nine or ten years old.  “They spar so young?”

“It is the first milestone in a young Yun’s life.  ‘The first tangible step to being a true warrior’,” she quoted. She smiled as she noticed one particular girl among them, who was actually watching the sparring below.  “I see Veda has rejoined them during Fang’s downtime.  I’m pleased, but surprised.”

“Why?”  She asked curiously, watching the small girl.  She had the strangest feeling there was something she was supposed to know about her, but couldn’t remember.  But that was silly, she’d never met the girl before yesterday.

“Veda has been rather.. difficult.  Since she is the youngest in the village, she has unfortunately been overlooked quite often, which has caused her to act out in reaction.  It isn’t that she’s really been misbehaving in any grievous way, she just skips her classes often.  Fang had opted to mentor her so I thought that Veda would be hanging around Ooma’s while Fang is there.”

“Mm.”  She continued to watch the girl who apparently hadn’t noticed them as she was intently focused on the matches.  Part of her wondered why Fang would take an interest in the girl, but she knew Fang was still hurting from Vanille’s move.  Grouped together with her own history, she could see how Fang might see herself in the girl some. 

She watched as the girls began to stand at the beckoning of the older woman in charge.  Her eyes flickered over to the spars to notice the warriors had finished and were getting ready to leave. When she looked back to the group of girls, they were cresting the top of the basin and walking off in the opposite direction, several of them play fighting along the way.  Light noted that Veda kept to the rear of the group and wasn’t included in their fights and laughter.  Instead, she was going through a few movements with her arms, as if trying to figure out some of the moves the warriors had used.

Back in the basin, the older groups had moved down to take over the stage, but Light’s attention was grabbed as a woman appeared; Kaz, if she recalled her name correctly, the scout Ava had left to watch over Fang.  She stiffened as both she and Ava stood to face her.

“Ooma sent me to find you..” She spoke, looking directly at Lightning after nodding her acknowledgement to Ava.  “A young canthor appeared about an hour ago..  she will not allow Ooma to get near Fang.”

Lightning smiled; glad to know Nyx had been able to follow their trail as Odin said she would.  “Nyx.”  She nodded.

“We should go then.”  Ava smiled, glad to see Light smile rather than settle on her worry.  She waved her arms to usher the two younger women into motion.

 

 

 

When they arrived back at Ooma’s, the elderly woman was working with a mortar and pestle at the table before the wall of shelves.  One of her apprentices was doing similar work next to her.  Both women looked up as they entered, and Ooma smiled at them.  To Light, she didn’t look very harried by Nyx’s protectiveness, though she couldn’t say the same for her apprentice.

Light didn’t stop as she gave a nod of acknowledgement.  Her long strides took her to Fang’s room quickly.  She stopped in the archway and smiled to see Nyx hunkered down on the cot alongside Fang’s legs.  She immediately perked up and hopped down from the cot to pad over to Light.  She could tell the feline was happy to be reunited with her, and she shared the sentiment.  

When Ooma approached, Nyx stiffened and bared her teeth, but Light pulled her to the side while giving her light scratches.  “It’s ok Nyx, she’s going to help Fang.”

“Murrr.” Content with Light’s answer, she returned to purring and rubbing her nose against her palms.

“Yes I missed you too,” she murmured to the cat appreciatively as she knelt down to scratch her lightly at the base of her horns.  She really had.  Nyx had been her constant companion for several months.  The sudden loss of that presence, especially in such a dire situation had caused her to worry, despite Odin’s assurance that she would be fine.  While she trusted Odin, she was relieved with Nyx’s return.

Ava stood to the side with Kaz, talking softly to the younger woman as they watched the small reunion.  After a few exchanged words, Kaz nodded and reluctantly left the building just as Ooma appeared from Fang’s room.  Light looked up at the blackened bandages that she carried.

Ooma smiled to her in reassurance.  “No worries child, it’s merely the inert venom being pulled from her system as the anti-venom works.”  She stated that as if it was clear as day, again leaving Lightning to wonder.

Ava followed as Light entered the room and took up her seat nearest Fang so she could hold her hand.  Nyx curled up half under her chair, half under Fang’s cot. 

As Ava sat, she tried to explain, “Anti-venom here is.. not exactly what would be used outside.  We cannot use animals to create it, so it is a similar effect through an entirely different method.  It is an herbalist mixture which, as I understand it, adheres to the venom in the body and causes it to be inert.  For smaller doses, the body’s own systems are good enough to filter the inert substance out.. however for larger amounts, assistance is needed otherwise the victim can go into renal failure.”

Light nodded slightly, not really listening.  She could feel it on the fringes of her consciousness; a phantom pain in her arm.  She touched it gingerly, as if looking for the source of the pain. Again, she found nothing.  She knew somehow she was sharing Fang’s pain, but she wasn’t entirely sure how that could happen.

Ava saw what she had been waiting for; some recognition from Light, mixed with confusion.  “You wished to know about bonds.”

Only then did Light look up to her. 

“I started on it before..  saying how Yun share very close bonds to their mothers?”  Light nodded, and Ava nodded in turn.  “The bond between mother and daughter is only the first bond.  Yun will form several bonds in their lifetime, though only one other is as strong as the first; the bond to their partner.”

“Partner..”  Light repeated softly to herself as she looked back at Fang’s sleeping face.  She could recall dozens of times Fang had referred to them as partners.

As if hearing her thoughts, Ava spoke again.  “Fang only recently learned this herself, so you needn’t look into mannerisms from before too much.”

“But I have been sharing her pain.”  Her eyes narrowed as she made another realization, “If it expands to emotions, that may explain why I’ve had such unusual mood swings and strange dreams too.”

Ava nodded slowly.  “I was waiting for you to realize.”  After a minute of watching Light contemplate the matter, she spoke again.  “It is unusual for a bond to be so strong without conscious initiation.  Bonds are entirely unconscious; the two parties involved sometimes know each other for only moments before they feel something of it..  but they are not as attuned as the two of you appear to be. Usually a bond will fade if not acted upon.  A bond will only strengthen if both hearts reach out for the other.

“From what Fang has told me..  this is not exactly the case between the two of you.”

“But we are bonded somehow.”  Ava nodded though she knew it wasn’t a question.  “What does that mean exactly?”

“It means you are partners.  In our mythos, we speculate that bonds form between soul mates, but it is left to interpretation.  It is.. a special occurrence among the clan.  Yun are the only clan known to have such an occurrence, yet less than half of Yun ever experience it.  I myself have never partner bonded.”

Light allowed a moment of silence for Ava’s obvious sorrow at that before she asked, “Are bonds usually within the Yun clan alone?”

“No.  Actually a relatively small percentage of them are between two Yun.  Delta and Zera, were both Yun.”

“But they had daughters separately.”

“Yes.  All Yun lines are completely separate from one another.  Procreation, for us, has nothing to do with love for the father.  In fact, Yun are never really certain who their father is.”  She waved a hand, “But we can discuss that later if you are truly interested.. for now, let us focus on bonds.

“Most bonds actually form with a woman of a different clan.  Daya, for example, is bonded to Nih Amara.  Ooma was bonded, but her partner was killed in the war.”

“Is it always a woman?”  She asked softly.

“There have been a few times where a Yun would bond to a male, but it is.. problematic.”

“Why?”

“There is a ceremony to complete the bond, but it must be done here in the city.”

“And men can’t enter the city.”

“No.  Though the reason for that is gone now.. Reasons for a lot of things are gone now.”  Light tore her gaze from Fang at the defeated tone in her voice.  “We are struggling to find our way now.  Things must change if we are to survive in this new world.”  She shook her head sadly.  “But change is hard and so many changes all at once have left many in a state of denial.  The elders are trying to cling to the old ways, while many of us know that we have to start to change.”  She met Lightning’s eyes, her own reflecting the sorrow she felt.  “Etro help us all, but you and Fang may just be the key to begin that change.”


	13. Chapter 13

****

She wasn’t sure how long she’d been sitting there, listening to her breath.  Ava had been called away, and save for Ooma coming in to change the bandages again, she and Nyx had been left with Fang.  The near silence meant Light was easily distracted by her thoughts.

She wasn’t sure how Ava expected them to change a few thousand years’ worth of traditions.  Ava had explained a few things before Kaz had stepped into the archway to alert Ava that she’d been summoned, but it wasn’t nearly enough to help her understand. 

‘They’re so complex.’ She sighed to herself and leaned over to lean on Fang’s cot, her head cradled by her arm.  “I wish you were awake.”  She spoke softly, uncertain if Fang could hear her or not.  “You at least know some of this..”  She idly rubbed her thumb over the back of Fang’s hand, which she’d been holding for quite some time.  Her skin was clammy and dark from the inert toxin her body was trying to filter out.  Ooma had explained that while most of it was being drawn back to the wound, some would be excreted with sweat. 

She reached up to dab some of the darkened sweat from Fang’s face with the cloth Ooma had left, but as she lifted her arm, she became aware of a burning sensation along her arm.  It wasn’t severe, but enough to sting.  Knowing it wasn’t her pain, she was afraid it might be something wrong with Fang.  Quickly she stood and moved to the archway.  “Ooma?”

The aging healer looked up from where she was cleaning the lacerated arm of a teenaged girl.

“When you have a moment..?”  She dipped her head slightly at Ooma’s own nod of recognition, then retreated back to Fang’s side.

By the time Ooma shuffled her way into the room, Light was gritting her teeth against the pain.  “Are you alright?” the elderly woman asked, immediately moving to check on her.

“It’s Fang.. I think.  Burning in my arm.”  She hissed softly, one hand moving to cover the nonexistent wound.

“Hmm.  I expected the sedative to last longer.  Oh, well no matter.”  She retreated only to return a minute or two later with a vile of orange liquid.  “Give an old woman a hand?” 

Ignoring her pain, she moved to help lift Fang into a half sitting position.  Fang groaned; it was the first sound Light had heard her make since she’d arrived.  Ooma lifted Fang’s head to look upward so her mouth would open, then placed the vial against her lips and poured the orange liquid in.

Fang coughed and sputtered a moment, then settled.  “Good, good.”  Ooma motioned for her to lay her back down.

“She was waking up.”  Lightning stated as the phantom pains began to fade once again.

“Yes.. but too soon.  Far too soon.”  Light only nodded, if she was correct, she was only getting a percentage of the pain Fang was, and that was more than enough.  If sleeping held it off, then it was best Fang sleep.  “Yun women..”  She tsk’d softly and shook her head.  “Since coming here, I have had to learn to adjust my methods far quicker than I ever had to before.”

Light settled back into her chair as Ooma’s assistant brought in a bucket of steaming water and clean towels.  The girl then retreated wordlessly as Ooma went about cleaning the sweat from Fang’s skin.

“They build up resistances quicker than anyone I have attended before them.”

“Artemi’s influence?”

“So it would seem.  It makes me wonder how quickly it will die out in them.”

Light tilted her head.  “Meaning?”

“Well, they say that Artemi’s influence is gone now..  Of course they are all still affected in some ways.. those that are constant from birth.. however some have notably changed already.  In six years, they should have had several phase groups already..”  She shook her head as she wrung out the cloth and continued her task.  “Not a single one of them has gone into phase.”

“What is phase exactly?”

“A breeding period.  Usually they will go into phase once every two years, starting at the age of 19.  They will stop going into phase if they succeed in breeding, otherwise they will have their final phase at 25.”

“That’s..  very specific.”

Ooma chuckled.  “I found it unbelievable when I first came here, but I have seen it in action many times.  As I understand it, it is more of an efficiency thing.. It keeps the castes very organized, which apparently makes training easier, as well as scheduling.”

“Scheduling to make sure posts are covered.”

She nodded, once again discarding the soiled cloth and wetting a clean one..  “I have never claimed to understand it.. but the effects have always been very easy to see.  I admit, watching the effects of phase certainly made it hard to dispute Artemi’s influence.”

“You didn’t believe?”

“No..  I would be hard pressed to name another clan that has the same beliefs.”  She paused in movements, her hands resting on the sheet she had been pulling down so she could continue cleaning Fang’s skin.  “In fact I don’t think I could name another that really recognized Etro as prominently as they do.”

“Religious differences?”

“I suppose you could say that.  Some clans had a different view of things, but most were at least similar.  The Yuba Clan is the only one I can think of that had radically different beliefs..  They held no faith in Pulse, Lindzei or Etro. In fact, I think they denied their existence altogether.”

“But mostly same story, different variations.”  Ooma nodded as she went about removing Fang’s clothing with some difficulty and muttering about how she should have had Fang remove them when she was still awake.  Light stood again from the chair to help maneuver their unconscious charge so they could strip her down.

Ava tossed them into the basket with the used small towels she’d been using to clean her up.  Wordlessly, Lightning picked up a towel and began to help her with Fang’s ‘sponge bath’.

“We will need to change these sheets.  Can you grab some from that cabinet behind you?”  Light nodded and turned to cabinet after tossing the dirty towel in the basket.  By the time she had found them, Ava had finished with Fang and was busy pulling the corners of the sheet up.  Light offered the clean sheets to her, then carefully lifted Fang from the cot to make it easier for Ooma to change them.  Once Ooma was finished, she set her back down.  Ooma pulled a clean top sheet over her nude form and then pulled a light blanket up over that.

“Will she be ok?”  A small voice sounded from the archway.  Both women turned to see Veda standing aside a blonde woman in black.  Light recognized her from the squad who had intercepted her and Odin upon their arrival in the city.

Ooma smiled and held her arms out to Veda, who seemed glad for the hug.  “She’s recovering well dear.”  She let her go, still smiling as she picked up the basket.  The blonde woman stepped in and took it from her with a slight nod.  “Ah, thank you Amara. Come, I will have Cayman launder them.”  Amara nodded and followed Ooma out, leaving Veda with Light.

She wasn’t sure what to say to the girl.

“Is that your canthor?”  Light smiled softly, following the girl’s eyes to Nyx.

“It would be more correct to say she belongs to Fang, but I’ve been taking care of her while she was away.”

Veda made a face as if she didn’t understand, but didn’t say anything as Nyx meandered her way over to nuzzle her hands.  “What’s her name?”

“Nyx,” Light supplied as she watched the girl happily interact with the large cat. 

She still had the feeling that she was forgetting something about Veda; something that was important.  Again she mentally reprimanded herself.  There was nothing _to_ forget.  She didn’t know the girl well enough to forget anything.  Still, the feeling nagged her.

After a while, the two had settled down.  Nyx laid her head in Veda’s lap for pets much the same way she would always do with Vanille.  Light was lost in thought until Veda spoke, “She’s not a monster.”

Light turned her head to watch her as she stared at Fang.  “I know she isn’t.”

“I thought she might be before.”  She paused and looked down to Nyx, where she rubbed the cat’s ear.  “But not anymore.”

“Why would you think she was?”  There was no anger in her voice, it was more a mix of sad curiosity. 

“She’s Ragnarok.”  Light barely heard her add, “Ragnarok killed my mother and grandmother.”

Light nodded, her expression soft.  “Technically yes.  But Ragnarok also saved the world.”

Veda nodded in turn.  “But she couldn’t save my mom..  I kinda hated her for it.”  She looked up finally and met Light’s gaze.  “It’s kinda stupid I guess.  I always had this vision in my head about a monster who didn’t care.  But she’s not like that at all.  I thought so badly of her.. and she still helped me and protected me.”

They both looked back at the sleeping woman solemnly.  “That’s who she is.”

 


	14. Chapter 14

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning for possible squicky sex talk.

****

They sat in silence.  Light wasn’t sure how long it had been, but was aware that her discomfort probably made it seem longer than it actually was.  Finally she looked over to Veda to try and break up the silence _somehow_ , and noticed the girl had fallen asleep, half curled in the chair hugging Nyx.  She couldn’t help the smile that came.

Quietly she got up pulled her cloak from where it had been draped over the back of her chair and then laid it over her.  “Poor kid.”  She said softly.  Nyx lifted her head just enough to look at Light, but not enough to break the girl’s loose grip. However she lifted her head completely free when she heard someone enter the room.  Light turned to see the blonde woman that had left with Ooma earlier.

“Amara right?  Nih Amara?”  Light asked, still keeping her voice soft as so not to wake Veda. 

The blonde nodded with a smile.  “Sorry to bother you..  Ava has been detained, so I was asked to show you to the bathhouse.”

Light looked back at Fang, but already knew she’d be asleep for some time yet.  With a sigh she ran her hand through her hair in frustrated resignation.  Maybe a bath would do her some good.  “Yeah okay.”  She bobbed her head in a nod. 

“Murr?” 

“Stay here and keep an eye on Fang and Veda okay Nyx?”  She gave her a pat as she passed the feline, confident in her abilities to understand and do as she was told.  Nyx purred and nuzzled her head back into Veda’s arms.

Light followed Amara out of the building and waited until they were n a less crowded area before she spoke.  “Nih are record keepers?”  Amara nodded, seemingly unsurprised with her knowledge.  Light hesitated before continuing, unsure how the woman would take the information she had to offer.  “There is a village in the foothills.  It was apparently.. buried.  Theory is a mudslide, but I was told they believe it was mostly empty by the time that happened.”

“Shola..” Amara spoke softly, understanding why Light was telling her of it.  “The Nih village.”  She cast a side glance at her, enough to see Light nod.

“So we suspected.”

“Was there anything left?”

“Not a lot unfortunately.  But the mudslide helped preserve some of it.  A team has been excavating it for several months.  They’ve found a lot of texts, some of which were preserved enough to be legible.”

To her surprise, Amara smiled.  “It makes me happy to know it hasn’t all been lost.  Thank you for telling me.  Unfortunately, the knowledge we have of the world as it is today is very little.  I’ve heard many say they wish to know what happened to their clan, but unfortunately there is a very large gap in time.”

“I don’t really have a lot of information.  We’re figuring things out as we go.  There is a large gap for us too.”

Amara nodded.  “It was my understanding that Cocoon had no contact with Gran Pulse after Ragnarok, until Fang and Vanille awoke.”  Light nodded in reply.  “Yes.. so it’s understood that analects, record crystals and archeology would be your main ways of putting information together.”  She hummed in thought as they moved through a crowded intersection between a road that was bustling with activity and the road that lead down toward the temple.  They moved along to follow the road toward the temple, though Amara noticed Light’s eyes peer into the crowded area curiously.  “It’s the market.”  She supplied as she paused in her walking to allow Light a moment to sate some of her curiosity.

She peered through the women as they moved about from stall to stall or lingered to converse with others.  It was like looking into the past.  There were no billboards or flashing lights.  Signs above each stall were hand painted and just large enough to see without dominating the landscape.  She couldn’t read the scripts of the signs very well- for a moment she cursed not listening to Fang more about learning Pulsan script- so she turned her attention to the people.  With the information Ava had given her about Yun clothing and significance of each style, she was finding it far easier to pick out which women were Yun.  Surprisingly to her, of those she could see, “most of them are from other clans,”  she stated aloud, interested. 

Amara nodded unseen off to her right.  “The Market is the large gathering point for them.  The Yun Warriors are often too busy to congregate here, though many of them take the time to do so when they are able.”

She turned and followed as Amara continued walking toward the temple, but glanced back over her shoulder at the mass of women.  “How many of them are bonded to Yun?”

“I would say about a quarter of them are or were bonded to Yun.”

“Were..”  She frowned.  Amara didn’t need to expand on the statement; Light knew she was referring to those who had lost their Yun partners.  Having spent the last few months separated from Fang with their apparent bond, she knew the anxiety that could spring from that. 

It was odd to her, thinking about it.  Even though she knew she hadn’t even been consciously aware of the bond even days before, she couldn’t think of a time when she could honestly say there was nothing there.  It had definitely been strong since Fang awoke from her second crystal stasis.  Somehow, she had known she was awake days before she had actually seen her.  What had life been like before that?  She tried to recall their time as L’cie, specifically the time she had first met Fang on the streets of Palumpolum.

She stumbled and stopped walking.  Even then there had been _something_ between them.  There was no other explanation.  She’d warmed up to Fang quicker than she could ever recall with anyone, and they had fought together as if they were born to do so. 

“You are thinking on your own bond with Fang now, aren’t you?”  Amara smiled softly as Light was pulled out of her thoughts.

“I never realized..  I always thought Fang was just _that good_.. That she was actively adjusting to me and my style as we fought together.  But she wasn’t was she?  She was moving so naturally; almost like instinct.”

Amara smiled again as began to walk, prompting Light to begin to move again as well.  “I understand that in the strongest of bonds, partners begin to complement each other without thought very early on into their first meeting.”  She clasped her hands behind her back and turned serious as the moved down a slightly smaller street toward a longer building that appeared carved out of the mountain just as the temple was.  Light guess that it was the bath house.  “I believe that is why Ava asked me to bring you here.. a very private place to have a chat.”

Light, though unsure what she meant by that, took it as a cue to remain quiet for the moment.  She followed her up the worn steps into the building, returning polite nodes to the women they passed on the way.

An attendee greeted them with a bow.  “We’ve prepared a small room for you as per Yun Ava’s request.”

Amara smiled.  “Excellent.”  They followed the attendant down a long hallway, passing an open pool of steaming water which was being constantly fed by a flow of water from a cut in the ceiling that ran the length of the back wall.  Nearly a dozen women were in various stages of bathing, all the while talking and laughing just as naturally as the groups out by the market. 

Light averted her eyes.  Communal bathing?  Somehow, she hadn’t really expected that, though looking back, she felt she probably should have.  She felt her cheeks color at the thought of sharing a bath with a woman she just met, especially since she was _with_ Fang.  How she was raised, that was akin to cheating.

Once they were shown into a smaller room and the attendant bowed and left, Amara became aware of her insecurity.  She smiled and chuckled softly.  “I thought a Military woman such as you wouldn’t be so hung up on sharing a bath.”  She gave her a sidelong look as she began loosening the corset-style ties on her leather top.

“Tch.” She replied as she turned away to unbuckle her jacket.  “It’s not that..”  She said softly.  “In the military everyone has other priorities; things on their mind.”  She slid her jacket off her shoulders and folded it before placing it on the bench before her.  “Also.. I guess I never had anyone to wonder if they would be offended by it.”

Amara nodded, though with her back turned, Light couldn’t see it.  “And now you have Fang, and aren’t sure how she’d react.”

“No, I know she wouldn’t care.”  She chuckled softly, recalling Fang’s sheer lack of modesty during their travels.

“I’m sure you’ve noticed Yun are raised entirely as a group.  Bathing is no different.  Though admittedly, it took me some getting used to when I first came here.  Some never get used to it, so these smaller rooms are for more private bathing.”  She moved to place her folded clothing in a neat pile next to Light’s on the bench, just as Light was shimmying out of the last bits of her own clothing and placing them neatly in the pile.  “I have to say, you’ve taken everything in stride so far.”

“I suppose it’s all I can do for Fang right now.”  She spoke as she followed Amara’s lead to a part of the running water that was cut off from the main pool of water.  There was a raised platform with thin slits cut into it for the water to drain.  Upon a small shelf on the dry wall were small glass tubs filled with various gelled liquids, shampoo she guessed, and two small bars of soap.  Alongside those were several folded cloths and small sponges.

They each took what they needed and silently went about cleaning their hair and skin.  Light couldn’t help but notice a rather nasty looking scar carved into Amara’s side.  Without looking up, the blonde spoke.  “When I first met Daya..  she was leading what they call a Hunt Team.  Shola, my home village, was under constant strife from a group of abnormally belligerent Goblins. 

“Nih are scholars..  scribes.  We had excellent archers among us, but we were not fighters.  The archers took up arms, but they were slipping through our defenses with apparent ease.  For several weeks, we fought but things got steadily worse. 

“My clan worked with the Yun quite a bit, and we had regular contact with them.  When that contact stalled, they sent a scout to see what the problem was.  Once they saw the problem, they left and returned with Daya’s Hunt Team.  They assessed the Goblins and decided they were ill and acting abnormally.  So as they usually do, they decided to isolate the pack and research what was wrong with them so it could be properly attended to.  I was chosen to show them where the nesting ground was, and was strictly told to stay in the trees with Daya’s scout, who was using the high vantage point to keep an eye on the team and the goblins and relay signals.

“Stupidly, perhaps, I didn’t follow her instructions as I should have.  The goblins were acting quite strangely, as I said..  and at one point, a younger member of her team was injured and unconscious.  I did the only thing I could think to do; I shot the goblin before it killed her.  Luckily,” she grinned, “I’m a very good shot.  Once the goblin was down, I dropped from the tree to check on the girl.  She was younger than me.  It was her first real hunt.”  She shook her head somewhat regretfully.  “I was so focused on her; I wasn’t paying attention to the rest of the pack.  I ended up with a Chieftain breathing down my neck and a spike shoved in my side.”

She touched the old wound with her fingertips, smiling fondly.  “Daya split apart from the group and saved me.  But the illness that the goblins were infected with wasn’t something she could save me from.  By the next day I was feverish and our healer had no idea what to do.  So Daya decided isolation wasn’t enough, something had to be done before the sickness spread.  She took her team back and destroyed all the goblins.”  She paused in her movements of soaping her skin and smiled at nothing in particular.  “Daya offered to bring me here, to Artemi.  They had some of the best healers in all of Gran Pulse here, plus the waters that feed this bath house are said to have healing properties.  Even with all of that, I very nearly died.”

“Your bond..”  Lightning finally spoke, venturing to look at the other woman, no longer uncomfortable about their nudity. 

“Yes.  In so little time, we had formed a bond, and it was Daya’s will alone keeping me alive.  She very nearly exhausted herself with the effort even though at first she was hardly aware she was doing anything at all.  But once it was realized, Daya refused to give up.  I was here for nearly two months, and I had never seen her show much emotion at all until she realized we had bonded.  The fear and pain in her eyes; that I could _feel_ from her, was more than enough for me to redouble my own efforts to recover.  It was nearly two months more before I was finally able to leave Ooma’s care.”

Lightning allowed her a moment of silence, as she could hear the ache in her voice from simply speaking of such an ordeal.

“Until now, our bond had set the bar.  We had what was perpetrated as the strongest bond yet to be seen.  She saved my life by will alone, well before our bond was completed.”  She looked back to Light, meeting her gaze.  “Ava believes your bond to Fang is at least as strong.”  She looked back to her hands as she began rinsing off the suds.  “Perhaps stronger.”

“Stronger how?”  She wasn’t sure she could believe that, after all, if Daya had saved her life, how did her bond to Fang even stand up to that?

“Daya may have saved my life.. but I was conscious of that fact in enough time to reach back to her.  You, however..  Appear to have pulled Fang back from crystal sleep.  That is quite a feat.”

“I didn’t-“

Amara waved her off.  “You said yourself that there is evidence of your bond very early on.  Put two and two together.”

“I don’t think it’s exactly like that.”  It couldn’t be, could it?  She did find it hard to deny that there was _some_ connection, but hindsight was 20/20 as usual.

“Think what you wish, for now, that is what I choose to believe.”

“Tch.”

 

 

 

Once they were clean, they settled down in the main pool of water to relax some, each of them wetting one of the small cloths to place over their eyes..  The time they spent in silence offered Light more time to reflect on the effects of her bond with Fang, as well as those effects that others had alluded to, but only gave her more questions.

Finally, she removed the small wet cloth from her eyes to signify she was ready to talk.  The movement prompted Amara to remove the cloth over her eyes as well.

“You said Daya exhausted herself trying to help you.”  Amara nodded.  “Ava told me I would feel better being away from Fang.  Is that because she felt I would..  put effort into making Fang better?  Unknowingly so?”

Amara nodded again.  “The effects on a bonded pair differ, and the strength the two of you have already exhibited has made us wary about how it is approached.”

“What strength?  I don’t understand.”

“Well, if you discount pulling Fang from crystal sleep, your bond still managed to bring you here.”

“Odin brought me here.”

Amara sighed.  “You weren’t that far away.  You were almost as close as Fang was when we went out to get her.”

“I was following marks that Fang made!  And I needed Nyx’s help to get that far.”

“I think that you underestimate it because you don’t understand.  Think back to the last few months.”  Light gave a partial nod.  “How many mood swings have you had?  Unexplained dreams?”

Lightning thought about that, and had to admit there were plenty of inexplicable mood swings and dreams since Fang had left.  She couldn’t argue that point, so she remained silent. 

Her silence was all the affirmation Amara needed.  “It’s a very long distance from here to Oerba.  Most bonds do not allow for things like that so far away.  And Fang woke up today.  Ooma said even with the high resistance to the sleep mixes should not have allowed her to awaken.  She expressed concern that you may have unwittingly had a hand in that.”

Light made a face as she looked down at the ripples in the water. It _had_ seemed a little odd that Fang began to waken right after she’d stated her wish for her to be awake.  It was too much of a coincidence to believe it was simply that.  “I..  might have,” she agreed softly.  Then in a more normal, conversational tone, she defended herself, “I didn’t know that would happen.”

Amara nodded.  “Which is why we’re trying to balance your time with her and time away.  For both your sakes.  Ooma and Ava don’t want you wasting energy to try and heal Fang faster, when they know she will heal just fine on her own.  There is no need to have both of you laid out.”

Light silently agreed.

“Also, there may be another issue.”

Lightning looked up. “A problem?”

“Yes..  though not specifically with your bond.  There is something going on.  The Council has been pretty tight lipped about it..  But being Daya’s partner definitely has some benefits.  Unexplained incidences outside the city; like the one at Dagger Falls.”

Now she definitely had Light’s attention.  “You mean the herd of Behemoth that attacked Fang and Veda?”

“Yes.  There have been more than a few occurrences since we all woke up..  Not enough to make the most of the clan to wonder, many are writing it off as a natural change without human influence.”

“You’re not so sure.”

“No I’m not.  Daya isn’t either, and has put our team on high alert.”

“And you’re stuck here babysitting me?”

“Not at all.  Fact of the matter is that I am the closest one here that can relate to your situation, so Ava wished for me to speak to you.  But she asked me to mention this to you.  She wanted you to be aware of the possible situation.  There isn’t anything to be done yet, so you should keep that information to yourself for now.”

“Wouldn’t want to start a panic..  or a rebellion I suppose.”  Amara nodded.  “Will I be kept up if anything happens?”

She nodded again.  “Of course.”

Light was satisfied with her answer, it was really the best she could expect for now.  No reason to dwell on it further.  Besides, she had other important things to ask.  “What do I have to do to complete the bond with Fang?”

Amara blinked at her for a moment.  “Have you thought that through?”

“No.  Yes..  Well... Not exactly.”  She paused, trying to collect herself.  “I don’t really need to.  It feels.. natural.  I don’t really have much of a choice anymore do I?”

Amara thought about how to respond to that.  She’d expected Light to ask about the bonding ceremony, but hadn’t really thought about how best to explain that she’d already initiated it.  “Well. Bonds begin one sided and only develop further when the second side reaches back.”

“That doesn’t make much sense though.  I didn’t reach back really until Fang left.  So I couldn’t have pulled her from stasis like you thought.”

“It is strange, I admit.  But Ava believes you reached back to her while she was in stasis.”  She shrugged.  “At any rate, you made a choice at some point.  Perhaps you just can’t remember it.  It could have been in a dream.”

“A dream..” she mused, laying her head back on the slick stone.  “I suppose it’s possible.”

“The first step to initiating the bonding ceremony is to make the choice.  Since you’ve done that, the clan has to accept it.  At that point, you have two choices.  The easy way, in which you basically pledge to the Yun and get a free pass into Artemi anytime you wish, or you can stay in the village where Fang is posted.  Though I suppose the point of that is moot since you both live in Oerba anyway, yeah?”  Light nodded and Amara returned the nod.  “Then there is the hard way.”

“What does the hard way consist of?”

“A full pledge to the Yun.  They call it a promise.”

“A promise?”

“The difference between a pledge and a promise is vast, but simple.  A pledge means that you agree to follow their code to a specific degree.  Mostly it just means you agree to keep their secrets.  A promise on the other hand..  Well, you pledge, but it’s a lot more than that.  You promise to basically act as a member of the Yun.  You live as they do and you follow their code to the letter.”

“So you are promised.”

She nodded.  “It _is_ extremely taxing.  There is a series of tests you must pass to show you can function as they do.  If you pass the tests, you are greeted as one of them; treated as one of them.  However you are not.  You notice I still carry the Nih name.  However..  since I passed the trials, my daughter carries the Yun name and a new line was created.”

“Did you experience Phase then?”

A sour smile slid across the blonde’s lips as she settled back against the side of the pool once more.  “Unfortunately not.  That means I had to volunteer to subject myself to it.”

“So you already have?”

“I joined into the first phase group I could once I passed all the tests and was accepted into the clan.  I had to.. I was 23 at the time, and that meant I only had two chances to be successful.”

“19 to 25..”  She recalled.

Amara nodded.  “Believe me, it was probably the most difficult trial they could place on me.”

“Do you have to go through that?”

“If you are in the age range, yes.  You have to live _as they do_.  Luckily, you are out of that range.”

“That bad?”

“You were unsure about _bathing_ with me because I am not Fang.  Imagine being grouped with several other women in the phase group and literally being _forced_ to join in an orgy with some men you don’t even know.”  She smirked to herself and sighed.  “I suppose I can’t say I was forced.  I mean, I was offered the choice.. I could have said no.. but I would not have been treated as part of the clan, which meant there was no way I could actually join Daya’s team.”

“So you subjected yourself to it for Daya.”

“Of course.  I would do anything for her.. she is half of myself.”

“I’m almost afraid to ask..”

“But you’re curious.”  Light nodded.  “I know.  Phase is a strange thing to witness.. and anyone who is lucky doesn’t see quite so much of it.  The Yun.. you see they do not see it as we do.  It is a necessary part of their reproductive cycle and is how they continue their lines.  However when you’re an outsider going through the motions.. there are a lot of other factors.  Emotional response and conscious reaction that they are blocked from.”

“Blocked?”

“Well yes.. Artemi provides after all..  She spares them what would be a highly traumatic experience.  When they go into phase.. well, to put it bluntly, they’re basically sex crazed maniacs.  It seems almost comical, I know, but that’s why it’s necessary for it to be highly controlled.

“Supposedly before they controlled the process, Yun were known to do.. well.. things that ranged from the ‘highly frowned upon but entirely legal’ to blatantly not legal just to get what their body craved.  Accidents happened a lot, weaker men that got targeted by happenstance often ended up injured, some were accidently killed.  It was a terrible mess and placed a heavy smear on the clan’s name and reputation.”

“So they had to clean it up.”

“Yes.  I understand why it is necessary.  I even understand why it was important to go through it.. but I also know the dirty secrets behind it.  It was always somewhat glorified to other clans..  after all, they needed volunteers to sire the next generation.  Outsiders thought all the women in the phase group were Yun.  Usually it was true..  it is surprisingly not often that a bond partner will choose the hard way, and even fewer who fall into the age range.”

“How did they get volunteers?”

“Every year, a grand festival was held out on the southern plains.  It was to celebrate life.  I’m not entirely certain how it began, but the Yun took to hosting games during those festivals.  Every year they would hold games for anyone who wished to enter, and they were a large draw for people to make the trek out to the festival.  But every two years, they would host a second set of games as well.  They were called the Sire Trials, and men from all over Gran Pulse would come to compete.  Limits were made, so only men between the ages of 19 and 25 could enter.  This helped to prevent many issues while making sure the most virile men were spotlighted.”

“So the winners of the trials knew they were going to be siring the next generation of Yun?”

“More or less.  They didn’t have to win to be chosen.  The trials were just a way for the Yun to judge them for physical and mental characteristics they wished to capitalize on.  It was considered an honor to be chosen to sire Yun- a sort of repayment for all the work they do- though the chosen males never found out if they were successful or not, since Yun do not track fathers.”

“That’s why they never know who their father is.”

“Exactly.  There is also the possibility that several girls in a caste could be half sisters, but without tracking, there is no way to be specifically sure.  A lot of the older Yun lines look similar, and girls tend to take on their mothers’ looks predominantly.  So Yun don’t recognize sisters beyond bond sisters, since no Yun in recorded history has ever birthed twice, nor had more than one child at a time.”

“Fascinating.”  It was, in the same way a psychoanalyzing a serial murderer was.  It was sick to an outsider, insane even, yet somehow made some kind of frightening sense that could make one doubt themselves.

“Well,” Amara waved it off, “you needn’t worry about any of that.”  They lapsed into a short silence.

“You were successful?”

“What?”

“You said your daughter carries the Yun name.”

Amara stared at her blankly for a moment.  Light could tell she wasn’t really seeing her though, especially when pain and loss became evident on her features.  “Yes..  My daughter, Tia..  That’s the hardest part of all.  I know in my heart, that my bond to her is strong.  I can feel her, even now.”  She placed a hand over her heart absently.  “But I was raised in a different society.. where a little girl could be raised by her mother.  Knowing that I would get barely an hour with her before they took her away to join her caste..”  She shook her head sadly.  “Even with the bond, it is difficult for me to comprehend leaving her to the care of another.  Yet I had to.  And to them, it’s as natural as breathing.”  She blinked, refocusing on Light.  “It sounds terrible, I know.  But I take solace in the fact that for my daughter.. it’s just as natural as it is to long lines of Yun.  Only I suffer the burden.”

“Somehow, not very comforting.”

“No.. it’s not.  But Daya has always been very attentive to me.  Even now, she is trying to counter my sadness.”

“Can she do that?”

“Our bond is strong enough that we can effect each other’s moods.  So when I am sad, she sends happier feelings toward me, and takes away half of the sad feelings.”

 _‘Even more fascinating,’_ she thought to herself.  Aloud, she mused, “It balances you out.” 

“Yes.  It took time to learn to harness it and make it work, but it is a great asset and makes us a greater team.”

She only had one other question for Amara, “Was it worth it?  The hard way, I mean?”

Amara smiled in a way that gave Light no doubts the woman did not regret a thing.  “To be with Daya, to know my daughter has survived a war that so many did not..?  I would subject myself to far worse torments.”

Light nodded, silent and thoughtful.

 


	15. Chapter 15

****

The next few days turned out to be more of the same; meals with either Ava or Amara, long conversations about Yun traditions and a daily bath to help ease her stress.

Amara had become something of a personal shadow, and Light often found herself wondering if the woman hadn’t been assigned to her as a guard.  She found that Amara was easily likeable, and they had fallen into a sort of friendship birthed of a similar experience.

Aware that they wished her to spend as much time away from Fang as possible, she had taken to training in one of the more private rings under the watchful eyes of Amara.  It hadn’t slipped her notice that several of the younger girls, including Veda had become fascinated with watching her as well.  It hadn’t even begun to bother her, as in the military she was always under some sort of surveillance when she was on the training field.

 _‘Time for a change, apparently,’_ she thought to herself as she was approached not by Amara, but Daya.

“I haven’t had a chance to introduce myself,” she stated as she held out a hand to her.

Light nodded in acknowledgement as she clasped Daya’s wrist in the now familiar way the warriors greeted each other.  “After spending so much time with Amara, it’s hard to see you as a stranger.”

Daya laughed in a soft, somewhat unassuming way.  “Bonds are like that I suppose.  I feel that I know you, though Amara and I have not had a whole lot of time to speak.”

“She said you’ve been very busy.”

“It comes with the position.  The bond certainly helps us remain close, even if we do not get to see each other for days on end.”

“So I’m learning.” 

Daya finally released her wrist and motioned for toward the empty training ring.  “Fancy a spar?”

She chuckled, amused as she reached for her blade.  “You take time off work to work more?”

Daya grinned as he pulled her twin blades.  “Don’t you?”

“Touché.”  They both moved forward, blades sparking on contact as they felt out their opponent.

Only a few minutes into the fight, Light was wondering why she hadn’t asked any of the others to spar yet.  She realized she missed the rush she always got when she faced off with Fang.  Daya was easily good enough to stand against her and had already sized her up to know she could take some punishment too.  There was no more holding back as both opponents attacked with the same ferocity they would in a true battle.

 

 

 

She’d lost track of how long they had been at it.  Both had broken a sweat and were breathing hard, but neither had any intention of giving in.

_Clang._

Turn; parry; slash; dodge.

_Clang._

Flip; roll; sweep; roll; spring.

_Clan, clang._

Daya was grinning over their crossed blades.  Light smirked.  “I’m a little disappointed.”

Daya pushed her back, putting some distance between them.  “Oh?”

“When Fang hits me, she hits _hard_.”  She lunged again, but Daya easily parried her strike and put distance between them again and laughed.

“Your little bird strikes aren’t impressing me much either.”

“Is that so?”  She smirked again.  “Time to go all in then!”  She attacked with a ferocity she rarely set forth, and jumped, pushing all her strength into a downward strike.  Daya, unprepared for the quickness in which Light pulled the move, barely raised her blades in time.  Still, the force was great enough that she was pushed off balance and fell on her back.  Light landed, poised above her, pinning her to the ground.  With a grin, she pinned her in a way Fang had taught her through their many spars, a way that allowed her to compensate for anything Daya did to try and gain enough leverage to flip her off.

Eventually Daya stopped struggling with an undignified grunt.  “Yield.”  She stated simply.

Clapping off to the side caused Light to look up, but Daya only chuckled.   Amara stood there with Veda and Kaz.  Of course, Daya had known Amara was there, but they had been so caught up in the fight, neither had noticed the nearly two dozen other girls who were perched on the high stone divides that gave the training ring some semblance of privacy.

“Tch.”  She lifted herself off Daya and offered her a hand to help her up.  There was excited whispering and clapping among the spectators.

Once the two were both standing, Amara began to approach.  As she moved, Veda also moved forward, slowly, as if unsure she was welcome to do so.  “That was great.” She peeped softly, then when Light smiled at her, she grinned.  “You’re so _fast_!”

“Now I get it.”  Kaz grinned, pulling both Lightning’s and Veda’s attention as they afforded the bonded pair a moment to reconnect.  “When I sparred against Fang, she told me I was fast but I couldn’t be as fast as _Lightning_.”  She nodded a bit, then shook her head.  “I guess I had to see it to make the connection.”

“Maybe you just think to literally.”  Light smirked at her then observed Veda trying to get a good look at her blade.  She knelt down and held it up, laid out across her palms for the girl to see.

“Wow.  I’ve never seen a blade like that before.”

“It’s a special design.”  She pressed the latch on the grip and used her other hand to fold the blade until it snapped into its stored mode. 

Veda’s eyes lit up.  “Neat!”

“Someday maybe I’ll get to show you the real version.”

“That’s a fake?”

“My real Blazefire is too mechanized to work here, so I had to bring a simplified replica.”

“I hope I get to see the real one then.”  Light wasn’t sure if they should exactly be getting familiar over weaponry, but felt a little pride in herself that she at least had made some connection to the girl.  For some reason, she felt like she was fulfilling a promise. 

Daya and Amara finally rejoined the group, and Daya was bombarded with questions about the fight, but Light wasn’t really listening.  The was feeling something.. odd; something she couldn’t place.

“Light?”  She didn’t respond.  Amara stepped up to her and gave her a small shake.  “Lightning?”  She blinked and looked at Amara, who was still looking at her with concern.  “Are you alright?”

“I don’t..”  She shook her head and made a realization.  It wasn’t anything _she_ was feeling directly.  “Fang.”  She stated as if it explained everything.  Abruptly, she took off in a sprint back toward Ooma’s.

 

 

 

Lightning breezed by a startled Ooma and moved directly into Fang’s room.  She bypassed the chair and perched on the edge of the cot.  Sparing only a small pat on the head for Nyx, who was nuzzled up against Fang’s legs on the other side of the bed.

Her skin was still slickened with sweat, so Light reached over to grab the wash cloth that Ooma kept nearby and dabbed at her face lightly. Idly, she realized the sweat she’d wiped away no longer had the dark tint it had before.  She smoothed her hair back and watched as her eyes twitched.

“Fang?”  She whispered, leaning close.  Her heart flipped in her chest as Fang let out a small groan, then slowly, her eyes opened.  The sight of those jade eyes clearing as they focused on her made her eyes mist over.

“Hey.”  Fang managed softly, her voice grainy from disuse.

Light released a breath she didn’t realize she was holding.  “Hey yourself.”

Fang craned her neck just a bit as she felt a fuzzy muzzle against her fingertips.  “Well, well.  She made a good partner after all, eh?”  Nyx huffed at her in a way that made Light feel like she was answering Fang, which didn’t seem far out of the ordinary anymore.  Fang weakly flexed her fingers just enough to give Nyx an affectionate scratch as she relaxed again and refocused on Light.

Light rubbed her palm against Fang’s cheek.  Her skin didn’t feel anywhere near as clammy as it had before.  “How do you feel?”  She smiled, and shook her head before Fang could answer.  “Stupid question I guess.”

“They told you?”  She asked slowly, as she tried to lift up on her arms.

Light held her down.  “Don’t try to move yet.”  As Fang settled again, Light pulled the wash cloth back over and wiped at her face again, gently.  “Ava got me to realize it myself; more or less.  She and Amara have been answering my questions for days.”

Fangs eyes narrowed in distaste.  “How long ‘ave I been layin’ here?” she slurred.

“About a week.”  Upon hearing that, Fang again tried to sit up.  Light knew she wouldn’t like that answer and gently restrained her, stroking her cheek as she tried to calm her.  “Shh.  It’s alright.”

“Please don’t get up.”  They both looked toward the door, where their collected overseers were assembled.  Veda looked like she was fighting off tears, huddled against Ooma’s side.

Fang gave a cough of a chuckle and weakly flopped back on the cot.  “S’pose I’m outnumbered then yeah?”  Lightning just smiled.  “S’ok.  I’ll just have to kick all o’yer tails when I get up.  She raised one arm and let it drop again with an annoyed grunt.  “Etro.. I’m weaker ‘an a day old kitten.”

Nyx snorted in protest.

 

 

 

Ooma shooed everyone out of the room as she gave her a check over.  Ava stood by, but Amara and Daya excused themselves to attend to their duties, with a promise to check in with them later.  Veda sat on a matt on the floor, her knees hugged to her chest as she stared off ahead of her.

Light stopped pacing and settled down next to Veda.  “She’s getting better.  Why do you look so worried?”

Veda blinked and leaned forward enough to rest her chin on her knees.  “You’re here now.”

Light tilted her head so she could look at the girl’s face.  “I’ve been here.  It hadn’t bothered you so far.”

Veda laid her head on its side so she could look at Light.  “But she was asleep then.  And now she’s awake.. and she’ll be busy with you.”

“I see.”  She took a breath, understanding why the girl was upset.  “You think I’m going to take her attention away from you.  That you’ll lose what you’d only just gained; what you were beginning to like.”

Veda turned her head over and looked the other way.  “Veda.”  She didn’t turn.  “Veda, listen to me.  If I know anything about Fang, I know she doesn’t go back on her word.  If she said she would train you, I know that she will follow through on that, regardless of where I am.”

Light looked up, conscious of Ava’s gaze trained on her.  She looked back to Veda though the girl was still looking away.  “Besides.  It looks like I’m going to be busy for awhile, so you’ll need to keep Fang occupied for me.”

That was enough to get Veda to sit up straighter and finally look at her again.  “You’re going to take the trials?”

Light raised a brow as Ava covered a chuckle with a cough behind her hand.  “And how do you know about that?”

“I listen.”  She narrowed her eyes at Lightning, as if sizing her up.  Light got the impression she hadn’t quite earned Veda’s trust and the outcome in the days to come was going to be important to that end.  “Why?”  She asked softly, glowering a bit in Ava’s general direction.  “Why would you do that?  Do you know what they’ll make you do?”

Light spared Ava a glance, but the elder wasn’t going to be of any help as Ooma called her into Fang’s room.  She turned back to Veda.  “I have an idea.  I know it won’t be easy by any stretch of the word.”

“It’s never easy.”  She grumbled irritably.

“Would you say Daya is a good fighter?”

“Yeah.  She has to be; she’s a Battle Maiden.”  She huffed a small sigh.  “I know you beat her today.  But Daya’s not the _best_ , and she’s only one warrior.  And just cuz you beat her once doesn’t mean you can do it again.”  She slumped a little as the anger started to leave her little frame.  “Anyway, the fighting is the easy part.  It’s the other trials you’ll have to worry about.”

Light nodded.  Amara had told her about the various trials.  Each trial tested her in the span of weeks what Yun were tested on over the course of their young lives.  Fighting really was the easy part, but Light was confident that her military training would be a big help to her. 

Veda spoke again, soft enough that Light almost didn’t hear her.  “They could kill you.”

Lighting looked at her with wide eyes.  She had read the girl entirely incorrectly.  Could Veda have connected to her on a greater level than she had thought?  Or was she just concerned about what would happen to Fang if she failed?  She was rather afraid to think about that herself.  Ava and Amara had both stressed how bad it could get for a newly bonded pair separated by death; bad enough that before their stasis, the Council had insisted newly bonded pairs remained in Artemi while they settled into their partnership and minimize the risks.  Though no one had specifically said so, she got the impression that meant if one died; the other may follow in short order.  Fang had survived so much; so much more than she had herself.  The thought of bringing her down was painful.

After the moment of shock wore off, she slowly put her arm around Veda’s shoulder and pulled her against her gently.  She was trembling.  “You have to trust me, ok?”  Veda sniffled and leaned into her.  Light smiled as she felt the girl nod against her chest.  “I won’t let either of you down.  Failure is not an option.”

 

 

 

Fang couldn’t help but pout a little when Ooma asked everyone to leave, but she was a little comforted to know Nyx had refused to go any farther than right outside the archway.  She knew Light was close, but she hadn’t wanted to let her go.

Ooma gave her some herbal mixture before giving her a more in-depth check up and she was already feeling quite a bit stronger. 

“Do you think you can sit up?”  Fang sat up a little too quickly and wavered with the wave of dizziness that followed.  Ooma placed a hand on her arm to help steady her.  “Slowly.  Give the mix a chance to work.”  Once Fang was steady enough to sit up straight and steady, she let her go and moved around her nude form checking on how her smaller wounds were healing as well as listening to her lungs.  “How do you feel?”

“Bit stiff.  Was feelin’ pretty weak, but it’s passing now.”  Ooma nodded and started pulling the bandages from her arm.  Fang grinned in her brash way as she watched her.  “So how does it look doc?”

She inspected the bandages before setting them aside to be disposed of.  “Well, the gel is still green, so the toxins are out of your system enough that you’ve stopped sweating them out.  Urine was still dark earlier, so it’s not entirely out of your system yet, but it’s more manageable for your kidneys.”  Fang just watched as she poked a bit around the healing gash along her bicep.  “This is healing well, but I’m afraid you have a new scar to live with.”

“No problems with that.”  Fang was actually happy with that.  She had a lot of scars and each one of them had a story to go along with it.  If this scar was what she had to bear for protecting Veda, she would gladly do so.

‘Speaking of...’  “Veda looked ok.”  She commented, glancing toward the archway over her shoulder.  She couldn’t see the girl, only Nyx keeping watch.

“The worst she had was a long shallow cut along her belly that has healed.”  Ooma nodded to herself as she began cleaning out the wound a bit.  Softly, she added, “She was worried about you.”

Fang smiled in a soft, content way that was rare for her.  “She’s a good kid.  Spitfire when you least expect it..  Just like her mum.”

Ava’s eyes moved from her ministrations to train on Fang’s face.  “I thought you didn’t get along well with Leto?”

Fang’s mood shifted toward the melancholy.  She was not surprised that Ooma knew about it, she and Leto had put each other in Ooma’s care many times back then.  “I didn’t.”

“You regret that?”

“Of course I do.  I hated her and all she ever did was what she thought was best to help me.”

“That was her job.”

“Yeah, I suppose.  But I never realized.”  She looked down at her hands.  “I didn’t know she was my sister.”

Silently, Ooma patted her on the shoulder gently.  “I’m sure she understood.”  She left her side, leaving her to her moment as she moved to the archway to get Ava’s attention.   The two women conferred softly before they both stepped back over to Fang.

She looked up to them to find Ava offering her a folded bundle of cloth.  When she took it, her hands were shaking just enough to see.  Ava waited a moment as Fang unfolded the cloth to find a simple light canvas shift.  “I know it’s plain, but we thought you might want a bath before getting back into your sari.”

“A bath sounds wonderful.”  She hoped Light would come along.  A happy memory passed through her mind.

 

_They hadn’t been on Gran Pulse long, only a few hours.  After the crash, Fang and Light had scouted around the area to see what natural resources were around and had come across a flowing pool of nice clear water.  After testing it, they deemed it fresh and clean enough for drinking water, and then Fang happily declared it good for a bath as well.  They’d taken some back to camp and it was decided the women would bathe first, then once they were back, Fang would show the men to the pool and they could have their turn._

_So they had returned with Vanille.  Of course, the little red head had her clothes off and scattered along the bank before Light could blink. “How does she get out of all those beads so fast?”_

_Fang just laughed as she began undoing her belt and slipping out of her sari.  “She’s been wearing them things for years, she’s got a lotta practice.”  She proceeded to fold the blue and white silk into a neat little pile and pulled her halter top off to join it._

_“Tch.”  Light wasn’t hot on the idea of stripping down in front of the Pulsan women._

_“Aw, c’mon now, don’t be shy!”  Fang winked at her as she shimmied out of her shorts and panties and added them to the pile.  She took a moment to collect Vanille’s tossed things and pile them up, giving Light a nice view of her rear assets.  Light, seemingly unimpressed, turned her back to the two as she began unbuckling her jacket._

_Fang paused in her movements as she stood on the bank on the water, watching as Light slid her jacket down her arms, cape and shoulder plate still attached.  Her head tilted as Light folded the jacket and dropped it onto the grass, and then proceeded to pull off her gloves and other small accessories.  Fang watched as more skin was slowly revealed.  When Light slid her sweater down and bared her shoulders, Fang licked her lips; she was feeling awfully warm.  All of that warmth curled in her belly when Light reached up to rid herself of her bra._

_Vanille watched the spectacle from the water, grinning a little to herself.  Fang was captivated with their companion in a way she had never witnessed before.  She watched Fang shiver and squirm just a bit when Light shifted her hips to slide her skirt, shorts and panties down all at once._

_Her knees felt weak.  As Light began to turn around, she panicked and dove into the water, causing Vanille to yelp and hurriedly move out of the way._

_Light raised a slim brow as she strode calmly toward the water.  Fang looked a little flushed.  Mentally she grinned, happy with the thought that she may have pushed the cocky warrior a bit off step._

The memory was a fond one and brought soft smile to her lips and a slight flush to her cheeks.

Ava and Ooma shared a knowing glance before Ava moved to the archway.  Lightning and Veda both looked up when she reappeared and the elder woman gave them a nod to let them know they could go in.  Neither wasted any time in getting up from the mat.

When they entered the small room, Fang was situating the canvas shift around her.  “Damn things are just as uncomfortable as they ever were..” she mumbled, her back still to them.

Veda silently moved over pulled herself up onto the cot to sit next to Fang, leaning into her and just about demanding a hug.  Fang chuckled, looking to Light as she sat on the other side of the small girl.  “Ya miss me kiddo?”  She pulled the girl against her, though her eyes never left Light’s.

Veda snuggled into her side.Fang moved her gaze down to Veda when the small girl spoke.  “I’m sorry I wasn’t strong enough.”  Her voice was small and subdued, but her tears had stopped.

“Now now, you can’t expect to be perfect right off.  I worked hard with my mentor and continued to work hard even when I was without her, to get as good as I am.”  She gave Light a short, pointed look.  Her partner.  Along with Vanille, she had become her driving force to continue; to strive to get better.  With a small, nearly imperceivable nod, Light let Fang know she understood her part in her meaning. 

Veda lifted her head to meet Fang’s gaze.  “And you’ll help me?”

She smiled in return.  “Toldja I’d mentor you didn’t I?”  Veda nodded.  “Then that’s what I’m gonna do.”  She grinned and nudged the girl in the side.  “Better not let me down.”

“I won’t!”  Veda smiled brightly and hugged her tightly.

 

 

 

Ava saw them off to the bath house before taking her leave to report to the council.  Veda walked a few feet ahead of them.  Light could tell the girl was happy she was allowed to come along, and knew it was important for her to do so.  As much as she wanted time alone with Fang, she didn’t want to do anything to push the girl away, especially when she had just expressed fears of such a thing happening.

Instead, she walked alongside Fang, hands swaying freely at her sides.  She couldn’t help the smile that settled on her lips, and she could tell that Fang was in high spirits as well.  Perhaps both of them being in a good mood helped to amplify that mood through their bond.  It was a strange sensation and since they walked in silence, she took the time to examine it.

While Fang was asleep, she’d only felt her pain once in awhile when the sedation was wearing off.  Usually, she’d noticed, that was her fault; Fang always started to wake when her own longing to just be able to talk to her became too strong to ignore.  Getting away from her to train had certainly cut down the risk, but hadn’t eliminated it.  Fang had nearly woken one night when Light had dreamt about her, but again Ooma had decided it was too soon. 

She snuck a glance at Fang as they walked.  The huntress had her hands clasped behind her back as she watched Veda with a small smile.  Amara had told her that Yun were, on average, terrible mothers. They were great protectors, wonderful teachers of all things natural; but they just couldn’t grasp some of the finer points of parenthood.  Though she hadn’t seen much of Fang’s interactions with Veda yet, she already felt they closer resembled age separated siblings rather than mother and daughter.

She wondered if Amara’s observation was based on the fact that Yun did not shy their younger generations away from danger like most parents would.  She’d only been in Artemi about a week and she could already tell they protected by exposure.  They taught the young girls to react to hazards, rather than stay away from it; within reason, of course.

Her own instinct was the opposite, as she’d already learned from taking care of Serah.  She had always tried to shelter her sister from danger and difficulties.  _‘And I still do,’_ she realized with a bit of irritation.  She knew her sister didn’t need her to be so protective anymore, she just couldn’t help it.  Old habits die hard, as they say.

She felt a nudge against her shoulder and glanced back to Fang.  “What’s on your mind love?”

Her smile returned.  ‘Love’.  She definitely preferred that to ‘Sunshine’, though the more annoying nickname had grown on her a bit.  “You don’t know?”  She teased, knowing full well that clear thoughts were beyond the capabilities of their bond.  “Just making observations.  It’s been a long week filled with them really.”

Fang gave a small nod as her expression turned a little sad.  “I’m sorry I wasn’t there for you.”  Light frowned in return, watching as Fang looked down at the ground.  “Not just the past week..  I mean for the past few months.” 

Light could tell she truly regretted the time apart; could tell that it had been just as hard on Fang as it was herself, perhaps more.  “You have been there for me.  I just didn’t know how to see it.” 

“Yeah..  I’m sorry about that too.  Bonding kinda took away your choice y’know?  All that time you struggled-“

She reached out and slid her hand along Fang’s arm, cutting off her speech with a small shiver.  “Fang.  You didn’t take anything away from me except my loneliness.”  Fang unclasped her hands and allowed Light to weave their fingers together.  “As I understand it, I made the choice to accept the bond.  I only struggled because how I felt clashed with what I was taught.”  She squeezed her hand gently, trying to reassure her.  “I had a lot of time to think about it.  I’m resistant to change.”

“No kidding?”  Fang smirked, using sarcasm to lighten the mood. 

“I’m sure you’re stunned.”

“Light, everything about you is stunning to me.”

 


	16. Chapter 16

****

Light shifted in her sleep, a soft sigh slipped from her as the gentle hand on her hip guided her into a more comfortable position.  Within moments, she returned to her slumbering state, breaths consistent and slow.

Fang smiled and closed her eyes again, feeling more peaceful than she could ever remember being.  Just as she was nearly settled into sleep once more herself, Light moved again; this time moving one leg to settle between Fang’s.  She bit her lip as Light rubbed their legs together enticingly.  

Fang could tell she was still asleep; dreaming perhaps.  _‘Whatever she’s dreaming about must be..  nice.’_   Light made a hushed sound as she shifted again, pressing herself more firmly against her.  _‘Stupid bond.. Pictures!  I want pictures!’_   It was frustrating.  Through their bond, she could feel Light’s arousal, but she didn’t know what was going on.  What she wouldn’t give to share such a dream.. but no.  Even worse, her own body was reacting to those feelings and amplifying them.  She couldn’t help the small whimper that slipped past her lips.

She wished they had been able to go back to her line home.  Even if the small home hadn’t been rebuilt, it was isolated enough to afford them some privacy where she could at least- _maybe, probably_ \- do something to work off the energy.  However crammed together on the small cot within Ooma’s hospice, the timing was less than ideal.

“Light..” she whispered softly, lifting one hand to gently touch her cheek in a small attempt to wake her, or at least _calm_ her down.  It only seemed to spike her actions even more as she moved her leg a bit higher.  Fang knew this could not go on, sleeping or no.  She locked her thighs to keep Light’s from travelling the few inches to the point of no return.

The abrupt pressure on her leg was enough to begin to pull Light from sleep.  She blinked in the darkness.  “Fang?”  She didn’t need to ask, she could clearly feel what was going on.  A blush swept across her skin at the sheer intensity of what they were both feeling.  She could also tell Fang was doing her level best to think of things that would reverse the feeling.  “Sorry.”  She mumbled, and attempted to put some space between them.

Fang held her tight and opened her eyes.  “Not your fault love.  You ok?”

She nodded as she realized what had happened.  Dreaming had never been so intense for her before. Certainly, she had arousing dreams plenty of times, but never before with the bond effect.  Arousal, in the arms of your lover, could be extremely difficult to fend off, especially when the feeling just _keeps coming_.  Like with any emotion, whatever one felt was passed to the other.  The other could then attempt to counter and balance it; but if they couldn’t counter and were overtaken by their partner’s emotion.. well it would just build. 

Amara had confided in her that it made sex _spectacular_ , but had warned her it could be dangerous for negative emotions.  Something small could make them both sad, and it could quickly develop into a deep depression that would be difficult to claw their way out of.  Anger, when amplified could make them turn on friends like cornered animals.  The thought made her shiver.

“You sure?” Fang asked softly, finally releasing her thigh as she hugged her a little tighter.

“I’m ok.”  She smiled softly, already feeling a calm fall over her with Fang’s worry.  “Not exactly how I pictured our first night together.”

Fang chuckled softly as she shifted in attempts to find a less frustrating position while maintaining their comfort.  “You an’ me both.”  She kissed her with the barest touch of their lips.  “Nothing I’d like more than to give in, but I’m sure Ooma’d take us to task for it.”

“It didn’t look easy to fight off..”  Fang’s expression was enough to tell her she was correct.  “Amara said it would get easier once the bond is complete and cools down a bit..”  She couldn’t wait; as much as she loved being able to read Fang like a book, she felt so off her game.  She wasn’t able to anticipate being bowled over by so much.  She felt they’d be happier once they had some measure of control.

She knew she certainly would be. There had been so many times in the span of only days where she’d felt completely lost; adrift in some kind of negative space where she wasn’t entirely herself.  In Artemi it didn’t feel like it mattered as much, but back in Oerba she had a reputation to uphold and could only hope she could at least appear normal by the time they made it back.

Fang nodded and yawned.  “We’ll keep working on it.”  She took the initiative this time and snuggled against Light, happily nuzzling her way into the cradle of her neck and shoulder.  “I love you,” she breathed softly as she began to drift off again.

Light smiled as she slid one hand through Fang’s dark tresses.  “I love you too.”  It was unnecessary to say, even redundant to do so; but it made it no less meaningful to either of them.

 

 

She awoke to a wave of frustration and an empty bed.  Slowly she sat up, trying to get her bearings.  Nyx lifted her head from where she was laying against her legs.  She gave the cat a rub on the nose as she swung her legs over the side of the cot and stood up.  Fang’s sari was still draped over the back of one of the chairs, so she knew she wouldn’t be far.

Once she pulled her shirt and shorts on, she poked her head out of the archway.  She couldn’t see anyone, but she could hear voices from one of the other rooms.  Fang was arguing with Ooma. 

Barefoot, she padded down the hall only to stop at the archway of another hospice room where Ooma was stripping the bed down as Fang glowered at her.  Somehow Fang was even more imposing standing there in nothing but her black halter and matching shorts, like some kind of wild goddess. 

Ooma was unfazed by the display and continued on her task.  “You need to rest.”

“I’m tired of resting.  I need to get back to-“

Ooma cut her off with a wave of her hand.  “If you will take it easy today, I will allow you to leave..”  Fang immediately brightened and impulsively hugged the grandmotherly woman.  “I mean it Fang, don’t push yourself.”

“I won’t.” 

Ooma just sighed as she pulled the sheet free and dropped it into a basket.  “You will, but there is little I can do to stop you.”  She shook her head.  “You’re just as stubborn as you ever were.”  She lifted the basket and turned toward the archway, smiling as she saw Light.  “I’ll have to rely on your partner to keep you out of trouble.”

Fang turned to Light with a mischievous grin.  “Unless she’s the one getting me into trouble..”  She practically purred as she invaded Light’s space and moved against her in a way Light could only think of as being suggestive.

Her cheeks flared red as she gave her a reprimanding look.

Ooma laughed as she passed them and disappeared down the hall.

Once the elder woman was out of sight, Light shook her head and turned to return to the room they had shared.  Fang just grinned as she followed along behind her, frustration forgotten at this new opportunity. 

Light made a show of ignoring her as she began to pull on her clothes.  When she reached for the holster for her gunblade, she met resistance as Fang held it down.  She tugged a little harder, but Fang refused to let go.  She met her gaze. 

Fang was still grinning, and she knew exactly why.  Her cheeks felt a new wave of heat.

Fang chuckled again and pulled the holster out of her reach.  “So c’mon, tell meeeeee!”  She drug out the last word like a playful child.

“Tell you what?”  She feigned ignorance, unable to stop the smile tugging at the corners of her lips.

“You had a frisky dream last night!”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”  She reached for her gunblade again, but Fang kept it out of reach.  Nyx smartly padded out of the room, apparently knowing where this was going.

The two grinned at each other over the span of the cot, each waiting for the other to make a move.

Fang blinked, losing the staring match.  Light took the cue and dove at her.  Fang laughed and twisted, pulling Light with her as they tumbled to the floor.  Each time Light reached for the holster containing her blade, Fang would twist and use her superior strength and reach to her advantage.

Though Light was frustrated, Fang’s playful game had her laughing along with her as they rolled and wrestled on the floor like they used to out on the plains.  They both froze like teenagers caught in the act when they heard Ooma tsk from the archway; Fang had Light half pinned, using her body to hold her down.  But the elder woman just shook her head.  Once she was gone, they both dissolved into laughter.

Once the laughter simmered down, Light realized Fang was gazing down at her with half lidded eyes.  She felt her fingertips against the skin of her neck and let out a wispy sigh. 

“So what did you dream about?”  She asked softly, teasing her skin with the light touch of her nails.

“Let me up and maybe I’ll tell you.”  She smirked, trying to ignore the sensations Fang was creating.

“No dice Sunshine.. I let you up, you’ll flit outta here faster’n a dragonfly.”

“Well, I am supposed to meet Daya and Amara..”

“Excuses now?”  She leaned down and kissed the rear curve of her jaw, near her ear.

“N-no..”  She struggled to keep control.  “I’m already late.”

As if to accentuate that point, a throat was cleared.  Fang sighed and rested her forehead against Light’s collarbone.  “You couldn’t wait ten minutes?”

“Sorry Fang.”  Daya smirked while Amara attempted to hide her mirth behind one hand.  “I’m on a bit of a schedule.”

Reluctantly she lifted herself off Lightning and helped her up.  She playfully punched her in the shoulder.  “You win this time..”

Light waved her off as she finished buckling the holster to where it hung behind her thighs.  “I know, I’ll pay for it later.”  She smiled softly and leaned into Fang to press her lips against hers.  When she pulled away, Fang had a goofy, dazed look on her face.  It was the first time Light had initiated a kiss, and it had caught her off guard.  “We can play later if you’re a good puppy today.”

The goofy grin turned to her regular cocksure one.  “Woof.”  The other three women laughed as they left Fang to herself in the room.

 

 

Daya and Amara lead Lightning to the Chamber of Elders.  The Chamber was empty for the moment, save for Ava, who was waiting for them.  “This is where it will begin.”  Ava spoke softly, just loud enough for Light to hear.

She took the time to glance around the room.  It was large and impressive, the largest room of the Hall of Elders, where the council would meet.  She knew that it was here that the council would listen to her request to promise herself to the Yun; to take the vows that would bind her to the clan.

“What should I expect?”  She trained her gaze back on Ava, slipping into the role she’d played for so long; cool, collected.

“They will question why you have made this choice.  They may even try to sway you from it.”

“Why?”

Ava looked away.  “I have done what I can.. but some of the Elders still view you as a Viper.  In the flux of everything since we have awoken, the council has been at ends with each other; some speak of conspiracy.”

She only nodded, her expression not betraying a hint of emotion.  “Odds?”

“I am uncertain.  Too many of the Elders have chosen silence while allowing the more vocal ones to argue.”

It wasn’t comforting.  Ava had instilled upon her the necessity for change among the clan and she agreed.  Their ancient traditions would no longer work in the world born from the ashes of war.  However it would apparently be up to her and Fang to instill those necessities upon the Council.  Ava had tried and those who agreed with her had tried, but they were all bound by the will of the Council.  Lightning was an outsider, and Fang was nearly so; they had no fear of what the Council could do to them.

She moved her eyes to take in Daya, the only question in that equation.  “Is it safe to talk here?”  Ava nodded, so Light fully turned to Daya.  “If things go downhill, how can I expect you to react?”

Daya didn’t look fazed, and Light hadn’t expected her to.  She felt a sort of kinship in Daya, in that they could both nearly shut down their emotional response and look at things from a neutral perspective.  Amara on the other hand, looked like she was struggling not to protest the question, but Daya’s hand on her arm calmed her some.  “If the Council can’t see that change is needed, I will stand against them.”

“Daya..” She hushed Amara with a look.  She already knew Amara had planned to stand against them, and Daya would not- could not- stand against her partner.

“Sarya and Cobalt may be more of a problem though..  I am uncertain about Kiira.”

“They won’t follow your orders?”

“In mutiny?  I doubt it.  You haven’t met them specifically because I’ve been keeping them busy and away from you.  Sarya and Cobalt both have.. issues,” she admitted reluctantly.

Light sneered, the first hint of distaste.  “Viper issues, I assume?”

Daya nodded, clearly unhappy for that.  “They will follow the council no matter how self-destructive their chosen path is.  They’re both superb warriors.. I hand chose them as I did my entire squad.  But things have changed since then; loyalties are no longer clear cut.”

Light nodded sharply, her mind already turning over ways to approach the situation.  “I want to initiate the trials first.” 

Daya nodded in agreement.   “Fang will have to agree and be present when you make the plea.”

“How soon can you set it up Ava?”

She hesitated to answer as she thought over the scheduling.  “I might be able to get them to see you tonight.”

“Can they veto the process?”

Ava shook her head.  “They can try to discourage you.. but as far as the code states, you’re already bonded, so they can’t stop you from completing it.”

“Good.  We’ll go with that then.”  Without another word, she turned and strode out of the hall, intent on finding Fang.

 

 

Fang sat with Veda in the semi-cleaned up ruins of her line home.  Nyx was nearby, sprawled belly-up in the sun.  In accordance with Ooma’s orders and Lightning’s words of being a good girl, she opted to teach Veda something different, that would allow her to take it easy.

“Move the blade away from you.  When you get better with controlling it, you’ll be able to pull it toward you for more detailed work.”

Veda did as she was told, following the actions Fang was making with her own hands.  Long curls of wood sliced cleanly off the block as she began whittling it down.  Once she’d produced a fairly clean, flat surface, Fang showed her a new technique.  “Take the blade and press it into the grain like this,” she demonstrated the cut, then shifted the blade to make a second one.  “If you push it under and lift..”  A small chunk of the wood came free, leaving a rough bevel.

Veda looked down to her own block and tried to replicate the action.

“Now be careful or you’ll cut yourself.  Try to keep the blade on the block.”  She didn’t need to worry though; Veda was surprisingly quick on the uptake and soon had a rough outline of her name in the block, without using any curves.  She continued working on the block, apparently intent on something more.

Fang watched with a bit of pride when the girl finally lifted the block for her to see.  She chuckled at the crude rendition of Nyx in the corner.  “Well aren’t you just a master.”

Veda smirked and pulled the carving away.  “Don’t make fun!”

“I’m not.  You’re pretty good for being new to a blade.”

Veda ignored her as she continued pressing the blade into the wood, once again intent on her work.  Fang watched quietly, enjoying the warmth of the day as she got lost in her thoughts.  Veda was a lot like her mother; enough so that it pained her.  She wondered if she would have been able to learn these things with Leto if they’d had a better opportunity to get to know one another. 

She’d seen Leto among her friends and she could tell the cold face she saw was forced.  It had always enforced the thought that Leto had hated her.

She regretted not giving her the benefit of the doubt.  But she also knew she had been such an angry child; Ooma certainly never missed a chance to remind her. 

She opened her eyes again to take in Veda, oblivious to Fang’s musings; so focused on her work.  She was determined.  She was probably frustrated with the delay in real training, but had been happy enough to use a blade- even for something so small- that she’d let most of that frustration go. 

It was odd to her, how much of herself she could see in Veda.  She had never felt she had all that much in common with Leto, but now she had to wonder.  How could one small girl be so much like both of them?

Her eyes moved from the girl to the dilapidated remains of her line home.  Someone had reinforced the walls that were still standing and installed a thick canvas covering over the top of it to provide better shelter against the rains she could already hear rumbling in the distance.

She wasn’t entirely surprised since she couldn’t stay under Ooma’s care forever.  Besides, it was customary to stay in her line home and the condition of it hadn’t really mattered much so far.  Still, someone was thoughtful enough to shore it up for the coming weather and she wasn’t about to argue the point.

 

 

It was dark and wet.  The rains collided with the fires to make a misty, smoky haze that covered the entire city in an acrid fog.  She could see forms moving through it; silhouettes when they crossed the light filtering through from a fire.

They’d failed.  Artemi was overrun.  Monstrous fiends ran through the streets, barreling through the traps as if they were made of twigs and wet paper.  Screams echoed through the valley from so many directions she didn’t know where to turn. 

Odin’s cries sounded painful to her ears.  She could feel Bahamut’s pain.  She couldn’t feel Lightning.  She struggled, sought their bond but couldn’t find her.  She choked on a sob and felt blood dribble down her chin. 

The ache in her side was numb; she could no longer feel her lifeblood coating her legs.  She stumbled and fell; crashed into a stone wall that felt entirely too warm.  There was fire on the other side, she knew, but she couldn’t move.  She struggled to breathe, but she knew it was futile.  She couldn’t even roll over to try and clear her lungs.  She choked, drowning in her own blood.

 

 

She sat up abruptly, choking and sputtering; gasping for breath.  Immediately she felt arms enclose her shoulders and warmth settle in her mind.  “It’s ok.”  Lightning held her as she tried to calm herself.  “It was just a dream.”  She spoke softly as she slid one hand into Fang’s hair, something she’d often done when trying to comfort Serah.

Fang managed to slow her breathing, but she continued to tremble as she opened her eyes.  Veda looked as if she’d fallen over; Fang had nearly collided with the poor girl when she sat up so quickly.  Her expression told of her worry.  “We were trying to wake you up.”

Fang gave her an apologetic look.  “S-sorry.  Musta fallen asleep.”

Lightning let her go enough to sit back and look her in the eye.  “Are you ok?”  She didn’t want to say she had felt Fang’s wave of despair.  She didn’t want to tell her how for a few minutes she hadn’t known which way was up.  When she’d finally managed to split herself from Fang’s emotions, she’d sprinted across half the city to get to her, unsure of what she would find when she did.  Her heart was still thumping in her chest, slow to let up on the fear that had gripped her.

“Never had a dream like that before..”  She stated slowly.  She sagged into Lightning’s embrace, trying to push the remnants of the vision away.  After sucking in a deep breath, she managed to stop trembling and braved a smile.  “Sorry to worry ya.”

Lightning frowned as she glanced around the constructed shelter.  “Ooma told you to take it easy today.”

“I have been!”  She followed her partner’s gaze and shook her head.  “I didn’t do all this.  I’ve been sitting here teaching Veda to carve.”  She grinned sheepishly.  “Till I fell asleep anyhow.”

Though she didn’t feel anything from Fang that said she was lying, she looked to Veda for confirmation.  Veda quickly grabbed the block of wood she’d carved her name into and held it up for her to see.  “She has.  She didn’t even have me go through forms today.”

Satisfied, she nodded.  She reached out to take the block with a smile.  “You did this?”  The girl nodded, clearly proud of her work.  While Light would admit it was fairly crude, nothing more than a child’s drawing; she felt the girl _should_ be proud of it.  After all, how many seven year olds carved their drawings with a blade rather than drew them with a pencil and paper?  “I’m impressed.”

“Really?”  She seemed to swell with pride.

“Alright, alright.  Enough of that.”  Fang shook her head and held her hand out for the knife, which Veda placed in her palm looking a bit crestfallen.  “Y’did good kid,” she gave her a playful punch in the shoulder, not even strong enough to sway her.  “But don’t let it get to your head.  Still a long ways to go.”

Veda nodded, steeling herself and falling back into what Light was starting to call her ‘Yun mode’.  Her small face turned stoic, pushing away any disappointment or pride she had, as if they were only weaknesses.

“Go on back to the caste before the rain hits.  Observe them sparring ‘till we can get back to it, alright?”

Veda nodded, took her half carved block and did as she was told.  Once she was out of earshot, Fang grinned, settling her back against the stone wall nonchalantly.  “She’s cute like that, reminds me of you.”

Light gave her a look of disapproval.  “You could have let her have her moment of praise.”

She felt Fang’s mood shift a bit into the negative as she sighed.  “She doesn’t need a moment; she needs a lifetime.”

Lightning watched Fang in silence.  She could feel her regret, though she wasn’t sure what it was specifically for.  After a few minutes rain started to fall, and the gentle patter of it on the canvas roof helped Fang push it away as she turned to focus on Light again.  “So what’s going on?”

Back to business it seemed.  “Ava is trying to get us an audience with the Council.”  Fang nodded but said nothing as she closed her eyes and rested her head against the wall.  Light had thought she would argue, but they both knew it was pointless; leaving the bond incomplete would only cause problems.

Slowly, she reached out and rubbed Fang’s cheek with her palm, smiling as she leaned into it.  “You know I’d stand by you if you only pledged..”  She trailed off, eyes still closed as she nuzzled Light’s hand.

“For what we have to do.. They have to see me as an equal.” 

Of course, Fang already knew that.  She nodded against her palm.  “When do you want to address that?”

“I think it would be best to go through the trials first.”

“Makes sense.  You’ll gain some respect by showing that you understand the ways of the clan.”

“Hopefully it will sway enough of them in our favor when we approach them about changing those ways.”

Fang opened her eyes and their gazes met.  “Won’t be easy.”

“The more treacherous road has the greater reward.”


	17. Chapter 17

 

As they approached the steps of the Hall of Elders, she felt her stomach flop.  She pushed the nervous reaction aside, though it was curiously strong.  _‘Then again,_ ’ she realized, _‘I’m about to go through the Yun equivalent of marriage.  Only it’s going to be a lot more difficult than Serah’s wedding was..’_   She took a deep breath to steady herself.

She smiled softly as she felt Fang’s hand invade her own.  Her grip was comforting; despite the worry she could feel from her. 

From her other side, Amara spoke as she moved ahead of them up the steps.  “You’ll be fine. Remember protocol.”  She turned to pin Fang with a pointed look.  “Don’t be smart.  Play it by the book, it’s the best way to impress them.”

They both nodded, though Fang was obviously unhappy with being told how to act yet again.  Light squeezed her hand before letting it go.  Together, they followed Amara up the steps.

The blonde spared them one last glance before she headed down a small side hall to where she would enter the main hall to stand with her squad.  Light and Fang stopped at the main doors, where they waited. 

Amara had already explained to them how the entire thing would play out.  They would wait until they were invited in. 

She was agitated at being made to wait, but she understood.  Just like in the military, it was pomp and circumstance; a display of power.  They would be made to wait simply to keep them humble. 

Nearly ten minutes had passed.  Fang leaned against a wall trying to look nonchalant, while Light had taken to pacing.  Both looked up as an older woman approached them.  The woman did not look happy for her job and gruffly moved them into their proper positions with a short, rude, “Stand here.”

Once they were in position, she looked them over and made a few corrections to their appearance before finally gracing them with a smile.  Without a word, she turned to the doors.

Light looked to Fang with a slim brow raised in question, but Fang could do nothing more than half shrug, clearly not sure what to make of the old woman either.  They didn’t get much time to think about it as the massive double doors were pulled open from inside and the woman stepped ahead of them to address the assemblage of council members as well as general populace who had come to witness the act.  “Oerba Yun Fang,” she spread her left arm to motioned at Fang, “and Lightning Farron,” she spread the other toward Light, “Wish audience with the council.”

Fang fought the urge to roll her eyes.  They _knew_ they would be there at that precise time.  It was a show of useless ceremony.  But she waited to be acknowledged.

A hush fell over the room as many shifted in their seats and craned their necks to see, as it was the first time most of them had gotten the opportunity to see Lightning.  It was apparently true of the Council as well and Light noted some of them whispering o their neighbor.

The council head was unimpressed.  She was a hawkish woman, her cold gaze hiding anything Light might have picked up about her thoughts.  Her short hair fell over her eye, but not enough to hide the scar that made that eye useless. 

Light wondered if she’d gotten that scar from war or a hunt.  One may significantly alter her options later, so she made a mental not to ask Ava about it later.

“The council welcomes you..”  The woman’s voice was as cold as her looks and Fang bit her tongue, not feeling particularly ‘welcome’ by any stretch of the word.  Still, they both stepped forward, dropped to their right knee and they each put their right fist over their heart while looking toward the ground before them.  Fang remained silent, but tried to offer her most encouraging feelings toward Light.  It was her show.

Lightning looked up but didn’t stand as she addressed them.  “I have bonded to Fang.”  More whispers laced through the crowed, but they were silenced by a way of the hawkish woman’s arm.  “I wish to promise myself to the Clan of Yun, and complete that bond.”

The whispering reached a crescendo, giving Light the impression no one had expected that particular request.

“Silence!”  The councilwoman called, trying to regain control.  Once a new hush fell over the room, she locked eyes with Lightning.  “You are aware of what you ask?”

“I am.”  Her voice didn’t falter as she steeled her resolve.  She thought she might have imagined a hint of approval in the woman’s steel grey eyes before they slid over to Fang.

“Yun Fang.”  Fang raised her head to meet her eyes.  “You are aware of the potential consequences of this action?”

Fang wanted so badly to look at Lightning, but kept herself focused on the council lead.  “We are.”

“And you support your partner?”

“’Beyond death.”  She stated.

There was silence as she appeared to contemplate the pair, and for an anxious moment, they thought she was going to allow someone to contest the plea.  Instead, she looked up and over the crowd.  “Who bears witness to this bond?”

Ava, Daya and Amara appeared from the east side of the room, where Fang and Light had not been able to see them before.  They took up position behind the kneeling pair and each placed a fist over their heart before Ava spoke.  “We have witnessed the effects of their bond, and it is strong.”  Daya and Amara both nodded with a single motion.

With a slight nod of affirmation, the council lead caught their gazes for just a moment, almost looking apologetic.  Light knew what was to come next, and she took a deep breath, willing herself to divide from her emotions.

“Does anyone object to this plea?”

There was an eerie silence before someone angrily ventured, “Vipers can’t promise to Yun!”

The hall exploded with noise.  The cacophony of voices was deafening as that one voice was like the drop that broke the dam.  Light wasn’t sure who had said it; could barely register what side of the room it came from.  She felt lost.  Like a political debate turned riot, her senses were confused.  She didn’t have time to recover.

In an instant, she felt Fang move.  She wasn’t sure why until a blade clattered to the floor.  By the time she’d turned around Fang had the blade wielder on the floor, her Lance pressing against the offender’s throat just enough to draw a few threatening drops of blood.

The noise began to die as people began to realize what had happened.

Lightning stood there shaking with the rage Fang felt.  It was all she could do not to give in.  She tried to remember what Amara had said; tried to think of calming things.  Fang looked positively feral as she growled down at her captive. 

Daya and her squad moved into position around Light to protect her from any more attacks, but she shouldered her way past Daya to try and calm Fang more directly.

“Fang.”  Fang only growled in reply and a wave of sheer agitation made Light shiver.  She placed a hand on Fang’s arm which was still poised for the kill.  “Fang.  It’s over.”  She knew she had heard what she said, but felt her hesitate.  “Please.  Let her up.  Let Daya deal with it.”

When Daya moved up into her vision, she reluctantly stepped back, pulling her lance away.  She glared menacingly at the crowd.  “Anyone else wanna try me?”

No one would get a chance to take up the challenge as the council leader held up her hands to gain attention.  “Dismiss the hall.  I’ve had enough of this farce.”

Everyone was quickly ushered out of the hall except for the Council, Daya’s squad- minus Sarya who had taken the assassin out-, Fang, Light and Ava.  Once the doors were closed, they turned to face the council as they finished conferring with each other and the leader once again stood to address them.  “While some of us do not personally approve of this..” she motioned to Light in a semi-annoyed manner, “it is recognized that the code does not speak against it.

“The reaction is regrettable, but you understand this is a..  Controversial issue.”

“I do understand.  I had hoped for better.”  Light admitted; her voice strong and in control once again.

“As did I.”  She turned to Ava.  “Make the arrangements with the Temple.”  With Ava’s nod, she waved a hand dismissively, “Then this concludes our business here.”

 

 

They were both silent as they made their way back across the city to Fang’s Line house.  Each time they passed someone on the street, Fang was notably on edge and Light could tell she was making an effort to not stare everyone down with suspicion of another attack.  Even so, they made it to the makeshift shelter without incident. 

The rains had brought the cold, so as Fang went about unrolling the large furs that had been left for them to use as bedding, Lightning quietly got a small fire going.  It was nearly dark by the time they settled on the pelts together, staring into the fire.

Just like that, Fang begin to lose her mental battle.  With nothing else to distract her, the gravity of the entire situation washed over her.  She was trembling as she moved to wrap her arms around Light.  “I almost didn’t see it.”  She whispered, her voice shaking.  “I could have lost you.”

Lightning turned in her arms to face her and placed her hands on her cheeks as she looked into her eyes.  “Fang.”  Once she was certain Fang was focused on her and not whatever darkening thoughts she might have been having, she smiled softly and leaned in to place a chaste kiss on her lips.  “I’m right here.  You _did_ see it, and you _did_ stop it.”  When Fang showed no signs of comfort, Light settled more into her arms, turning enough to stare at the fire again.  “Please Fang.. I need you to relax.”  She took a deep, somewhat unsteady breath.  “All of this stress..” she trailed off with a sigh as Fang tightened her grip comfortably and bowed her head to rest gently on soft pink locks.

“I’m sorry.” She inhaled, savoring her lover’s scent as she made the conscious effort to calm down.  After a few minutes, she chuckled sourly.  “I haven’t been much help through all of this; bein’ asleep so long and now just adding to the stress.”  She nuzzled Light affectionately.  “I’m sorry you had to do it alone.”

Light turned her head just enough to meet her eyes again.  “I wasn’t alone.  _We’re_ not alone.  We have allies here.”  She smiled softly.  “ _And_ ,” she stressed, “we’re together now.  I may not understand all of the effects of the bond yet..  but I do know that together, we’re much stronger than we are apart.”

Fang grinned, finally letting a better mood clear her thoughts.  “Well, we always have made one hell of a team.”

 

 

She awoke to the sound of laughter and the playful growls of Nyx.  A smile graced her features as she slowly opened her eyes to the sight of sun kissed pink locks.  She purred happily as she nuzzled her nose into the back of Light’s neck.  “If I could wake up like this every day, I might never be unhappy again.”

She couldn’t see the smile on Light’s face, but she felt the soft chuckle that accompanied it.  “Awake now, are you?”  Light rolled a little as Fang unconsciously adjusted herself to the movement.  When it was done, Light was on her back, smiling up at Fang, who was propped up on one arm.  “I don’t recall you ever sleeping so late,” she quipped in a light hearted tone.

Fang mock pouted for a moment.  “I’m still recovering.  What’s your excuse?”

The smile turned to a sly grin.  “I was trapped by a beast.”

A smirk came with Fang’s answer, “That so?”

Lazily, Light stretched, reaching her arms above her head.  “Mmhmm.  A beautiful, wild, beast.”  She nodded slightly, as if it was the most natural explanation. 

They bothed laughed at how corny the line was.  Fang eased into a chuckle as she lowered herself down to lay more comfortably beside her, her head resting on Light’s shoulder.  They stayed like that for a moment, Light’s eyes closed as she enjoyed the comfort of the closeness they could share.  Fang watched the side of her face, marveling at how calm she looked.  She couldn’t remember her ever being so calm while awake before.  “Really though,” she began, her soft smile returning as Light opened her eyes to look at her.  “That was the best sleep I’ve gotten for as long as I can remember.”

Light smiled and rolled onto her side so that their fronts were pressed together.  “I was thinking the same thing when I woke up.  It seems strange though, after what happened yesterday.”

A shadow crossed Fang’s expression as she thought of that, obviously still disgruntled.  Light lifted her hand to Fang’s cheek, calming her with the light caress.  “We knew there would be issues.  Like everything else, we take it a step at a time; plan and adapt as needed.”  Fang nodded, though she wasn’t terribly happy about it all.  A hunt she could plan and easily adapt to, but she knew little about political battles and had even less interest.  She would have to rely on Light and Ava to guide her.

Fang looked eager to change the subject, so Light acquiesced.  “Veda showed up about an hour ago, but I didn’t want to wake you.”

Fang’s smile returned as a laughing yelp sounded from somewhere nearby.  “Sounds like Nyx took up the torch.”

“They seem fond of each other.”

“Not surprised.  In the time I’ve been here.. well let’s just say I can count the number of girls Veda seems friendly with on one hand, with fingers left over.”  She could tell Lightning was saddened by the thought.  “It’s not unusual I guess.  Girls usually stick to their own caste ‘till they turn 12, when they’ll start training a bit with the older groups.”

“But she trains with the older groups already.”

“Yeah, but understandably, she’s a bit outcast from them.  Castes are tight knit groups; they’re quick to gang up on outsiders.  I mean, once they get older they mostly grow out of that, but it’s pretty rough when you’re the outsider before they get past it.”  While Fang spoke clearly and calmly, Light could feel the hint of hurt that lie beneath her words.

“Is your caste hard on you?”

“They were when we were kids.  Not so bad now, but there are only sixteen of us left.  After losing so many mates, they tend to be more welcoming I guess.”

Light hesitated, both hearing and feeling Fang’s sadness at that revelation.  “..How many were in your Caste?”

She thought that over for a moment, but eventually shrugged.  “Dunno exactly, but in general, they tend to be a little over a hundred.. on the low end.”

“A _hundred_?”  She was, understandably shocked.  One hundred or so girls, every two years..  the numbers were pretty hefty for the sort of society the Yun had. 

Fang chuckled.  “You’ve seen the size of this city yeah?  A lot of ruins now.. but once upon a time it was packed with people.  But,” she continued, “keep in mind a lot of Yun didn’t make it to their 60s and with only one daughter to each line per generation..  the numbers were pretty constant.”  She quieted a bit, once again feeling a bit blue over the facts.  “War took a hard toll on us though.  My Caste was young, but we had to fight too.  Last time I came to Artemi before becoming l’cie, we’d already been cut in half.  We were only twenty years old then.  Most of those who survived the two years since I saw them only did because they were stuck here after Phase.”

They had moved while talking, to a sitting position. Fang’s back was against the wall with Light sitting between her bent knees and leaning back against her.  Idly, Light rubbed the pad of her thumb against some small scar on Fang’s arm, which was loosely wrapped around her.  “You didn’t go through Phase.”

“Nah.  Never affected me.  Figure that was Bahamut’s doing.”

“Because he branded you.”  She turned enough to brush her fingers against the black mark on Fang’s left arm, which she had once thought was nothing more than a tattoo.

“Yeah.”

She hmm’d in thought as she settled back against Fang as they watched Veda ‘hunting’ Nyx outside the shelter.  “Explain that to me.  I don’t understand what the deal is with the Eidolons.”

“Eh..  Well, before they were Eidolons, they were Guardian Beasts.  As legend goes, they were created from Etro’s flesh, as humans were created from her blood.  That makes us like.. the weaker siblings.  So Etro charged them with protecting life, since Pulse and Lindzei were only interested in their own creations.”

“Fal’cie,” she supplied, though it was unnecessary.

Fang nodded.  “Only like siblings tend to do, Human and Beast didn’t get along.  Mostly because humans didn’t..  fit exactly.  We were different from other life.  Humans multiplied too fast and destroyed too much.  So the Guardians took a dislike to ‘em.  Most of them anyhow.  They say humans began life on the plains and that made us Odin’s problem.  But they spread.  Odin couldn’t contain them, even if he did try to protect them from themselves.”

“And each guardian has a biome of its own.”  She felt Fang look at her in question.  “We found a map that had each of the biomes mapped out.  It was ancient though, they believe it’s pre-transgression.”

“Ah.  Yeah, the land must’a changed a lot since then.”  She returned to her previous line of thought.  “The big ones control their own areas anyhow.  But there are minor ones too.  Like here in the mountains, you have Bahamut as king of the hill.  Then below him, you have Fenrir, the lesser guardian.  Then there are several minor ones too.  They say a lot of the original wild life was descended from the guardians.  Of course over time, Titan mucked all that up and now it’s hard to say which are original and which are Titan’s creations.

“Anyhow, mostly the Guardians didn’t interact directly with humans, they just tried to contain the damage.  Every now and again though, they’d claim someone as their proxy.”

“And Bahamut chose you.”

She nodded.  “The more I think about it though..”  She shook her head.  “I think it was all planned out.  I mean, Bahamut didn’t have to claim anyone, he already controlled the entire Yun Clan.  But he branded me, which stopped me from getting tossed out.  Then the Guardians started getting picked off by Cocoon Fal’cie.  Once I heard Bahamut was taken, I decided it had gone on long enough and went to see Anima.”

“So the Eidolon’s _were_ \- or _are_ \- the guardians.”  Some of what Odin had told her made a little more sense.  “They were enslaved too.  Bahamut is still bound to you.. but Odin told me he _chose_ to come to me.”

“Yep.  I didn’t realize it the first time myself, but Bahamut came to me only shortly before everything went to hell anyhow.”

“…”  She shifted again, separating herself from Fang so she could look her in the eye.  “You remember now?”  She asked softly, her concern evident.

Fang took a deep breath and let her head fall back against the wall.  “Yeah.  I remember now.  I remember trying to kill Anima and failing.  I remember Vanille saving my ass by offering herself up too.  I remember wandering Gran Pulse and fighting just to get strong enough to even think about becoming Ragnarok..”  She silenced herself as her eyes settled on Veda, who was lying peacefully in the tall grass with Nyx, her weight on top of the big cat who didn’t seem to mind.

“What happened?”  Her voice was still soft as her hands came to rest on Fang’s arm, offering what comfort she could.

“I saw Delta get cut down.  Lost myself in the pain of it.  When the transformation hit..  Vanille got scared.  I can’t blame her really.  While she was technically _part_ of Ragnarok, she hid.  Mentally I guess..  I dunno.  To me, she was just gone.”

“That must have made it worse.”  She knew she would have gone into a panicked despair if her sister was afraid of her, then simply disappeared, so she felt she could sympathize at least a little.

Fang just nodded as Light moved into her embrace and just held her in the silence.

 

 

 

It wasn’t until after they’d all eaten lunch that Ava arrived.  She found them in the small training ring Light had frequented while Fang had slept.  Since Fang was still under orders to take it easy, she was watching and coaching from the sidelines as Veda attempted to teach Light the basic combat forms that Yun were taught.

Fang was amused with their stop-and-go progress, as Veda didn’t really know how to teach yet, but she was proud of her for making the effort.  She nodded to Ava as the older woman sat down next to her, also watching the spectacle.

Once Light noticed Ava, she and Veda decided they’d done enough for the day and moved to join their watchers on the stone benches.

Ava smiled as they both sat and drank from a water skin.  “Everything has been arranged.  The opening ceremony will be held in three days.  As tradition states, the night before will be feasting and festivities, which will continue into the night after the ceremony itself.”

Light almost choked on the water.  “Feasting and festivities?”

Ava chuckled.  “All of Artemi celebrates a Promise.”

Fang looked thoughtful.  “Isn’t three days a bit..  soon?”

Ava sobered and took on a more serious air.  “Yes..  the council is pushing it.  I believe some of them feel it will force her to drop the idea, but some I am certain are hoping that things will settle down faster once everything is in motion.  Personally, I feel the festivities will be uplifting for everyone.  The city needs something to celebrate.”  She slapped her hands on her knees jovially as she stood up.  She looked to Light. “You have two days to learn to dance.  Yun Evia at the temple will instruct you on that, as well as what you need to know for the ceremony itself.”  Her gaze shifted to Fang, as she was aware Fang had never seen a bonding ceremony and wouldn’t know what it entailed.  She smiled broadly as she turned to take her leave.  “Good luck ladies!”

Light and Fang looked at each other, apprehension in their eyes as they both spoke together.  “Dance?”


	18. Chapter 18

As they approached the temple steps, Lightning felt a bit humbled.  She stopped walking to look up at the spire, so far above them.  It was breathtaking. 

On Cocoon, hard labor was almost unheard of.  Engineers worked things out and made plans, then projects were handed over to Fal’cie driven drones to complete the work; only a handful of artisans did work manually.  To think that the entire structure before her was created by hand, with only the simplest of tools..!  She was astounded. 

Her eyes roamed over the wooden scaffolding that lined the front face of the edifice, supporting the platforms that work crews used to scale the wall and make repairs to the cracked stone.  Some of the larger marble blocks had been pulled back into place near the base, but the majority of it was mottled between the raw stone face that showed where the marble had fallen, and the bits of marble that had somehow managed to hold on.  She could only imagine what it had all looked like in its prime.

“Pretty impressive innit?”

Her eyes slide down the visage until she met Fang’s.  She had stopped walking a few steps ahead and turned to watch her take the sight in, a small smile curving her lips. Slowly, she nodded, sparing one last look up before beginning to walk again.  “It really is.  Taijin’s Tower was impressive, but not like this.  I mean, that was built with mechanical assistance; this was by _hand_.”  She shook her head.  “It’s hard to imagine how it was even possible to do.”

“They say the beginning of the temple was a pretty big cave that they carved out and expanded.”

“It’s still hard to imagine.”

Fang chuckled as she playfully pulled her up the steps.  “Just wait till you see inside!”  Lightning could feel her amusement and excitement; like a child who couldn’t wait to show a friend what they had discovered.  She let the feeling wash over her as she laughed, allowing herself to be guided.

She wasn’t disappointed.  Upon entering the temple she could already tell it was far different from the outside.  Where the outside had been dominated by the rough stone, the inside was quite refined.  The stone was the same, a light, creamy white colored stone mottled with flecks of silver and grey.  The walls were smoothed and polished, helping to bring in light.  The light color was contrasted nicely by accents in a similar stone, where the colors were reversed. 

She didn’t have much time to ponder the beauty of it as Fang continued to tug her along.  She tugged her through a few rooms that were large enough to rival the council hall, but nothing could have prepared her for the sheer size of the room Fang finally pulled her into and stopped.

It was _enormous_!  The room was circular and arranged in stepped levels similar to the outdoor arena, only the steps were much wider.  The light color of the stone was broken up by tapestries that lined the low end of the walls.  Below the tapestries, there was a lip along the wall, a shelf of sorts that looked about perfect height to sit on.  A ring of five pillars stood toward the center of the room, marking off the lowest floor in the room, which Light guessed acted as a stage, just as it did in the arena.  The walls lifted roughly twenty feet high before curving into a domed ceiling.  The ceiling was divided into smaller hexagonal sections, much like a honeycomb.  Many of the hexagons had been carved out and had glass inlaid upon them, allowing natural sunlight to filter in and light the room. 

She stood there, speechless.  Fang stood to her side, their fingers interlaced as she watched her take it all in.  She watched several small teams of women were moving about the room, setting up low tables.  Behind them, a group of teenagers were talking and laughing amongst themselves as they placed thick woven mats on the floor alongside the tables.

“This is the Main Hall.”  Fang supplied, though Lightning could already guess.

“What is it used for?”

“All ceremonies and many trials are held here.”  The voice that answered didn’t belong to Fang.  They both turned to see a woman approaching them.  She looked a little older than Fang, though not by much. Then again, Light had a hard time telling how old each Yun she met was.  Even Ava displayed a youthfulness that defied her true age, which Light was certain was more than she would have actually guessed.

The woman offered a hand, which Fang and Light both clasped wrists with, one after the other. “Yun Evia,” she introduced herself.  Her grip was strong and she was about Light’s height.  She wore a white shift similar to the one Fang had worn just after she awoke, but it was slightly more formfitting and more like a loose dress.  The cloth was trimmed in black with gold letters that Light couldn’t read.

She felt Fang lean close to her as she spoke softly, “She’s a temple maiden.”

Evia nodded.  “I’ve been asked to try and prepare you both for the dance.”

 

 

It wasn’t long before they had moved into the center of the room.  Light felt distracted by how much larger the room looked from the new perspective, and almost missed Evia’s explanations of why they needed to learn to dance.  She reigned in her curiosity enough to look back to the temple maiden as Evia addressed her directly.  “Do you know how to dance at all?”

Light bobbed her head shortly a few times.  “I do actually.”  Her eyes drifted to Fang, who was giving her the most incredulous look that plainly stated she didn’t believe her.  She could understand why people never believed her, and luckily she found their disbelief amusing, rather than annoying.  Still, she felt some need to explain, if only because it was Fang.  “I was up and coming in the military..  I got invited to a lot of formal gatherings to mingle with officers and other people it was good to know.”

“And you actually went?”  Fang grinned, trying to imagine Light on some weird pseudo-date with some military guy who basically wanted to show her off as a trophy for her ‘skills’.  She almost snorted with laughter, which drew Lightning’s face into a somewhat more annoyed look, her brows pulling a bit closer together. 

“Yes I did.  It was an excellent time to network with others in a similar position.  And yes, I _danced_.  With _men.”_   The remark failed to turn Fang’s amusement into the pout she’d hoped for.  In fact, she noted with a little embarrassment, Fang’s eyes twinkled as she kept her pinned with her gaze, both waiting patiently and pressing for the rest of the story.

With a half defeated sigh, Light looked away.  “Serah always made me promise to try and have a good time.”  Like _normal_ people would.  Obviously, if Serah really wanted her to have a good time in her own way, she never would have pestered her about being social in the first place.  “I considered it strategic mingling.”

Fang’s bark of laughter tugged on her annoyance strings again.  “Now _that_ ,” she chuckled, catching her breath, “sounds more like my Lightning.”

Evia chuckled as well.  “I don’t think either of you should have a problem with this.  If you can fight, you can dance.”

“Is everything a battle to the Yun?  I’m seeing a pattern,” Light muttered aloud.

Evia smiled gently and she pondered the question, “A wise man of another Clan once stated that ‘Life is a war; the enemy unseen.  Each battle defines you, and makes you stronger.’  That is very close to a saying we Yun learn very young; ‘Life is a hunt. Sometimes you are the hunter, sometimes the hunted, but every trial you face prepares you for the next.’”

Fang nodded in apparent agreement, but Evia continued.  “Here at the Temple, most of us are failed warriors.  Some are accomplished but gave up those ways to serve the Temple directly, but most of us choose this life so that we may still offer something to the Clan and hope that Artemi would grace our line with skill once again.”  She looked a little sad as she smiled, casting her eyes toward the skylight.  “I myself never passed many of the trials you will soon face.”

Light felt a bit humbled.  She’d never once given thought to what it might be like to be a part of a warrior society and not really fit that bill.  After seeing how the young girls literally grew up training, it had never occurred to her that some may fail at it.

After a moment of reflective silence, Evia looked back to her and smiled genuinely again.  “We have a different saying here in the Temple.  ‘Life is a song.  Sometimes it is slow, sometimes it is fast.  Sometimes the words are so jumbled you cannot make sense of them.  But always, there is a new beat following along, you need only press on to find one that suits you.’”

Light felt oddly comforted by that version.  It was interesting really, how peoples of such vastly different cultures could usually draw easy parallels in music.  She shifted her gaze to Fang again.  They’d never really spoken much about musical preference, and now she wondered what kind of music Fang liked.  Would she poke fun at her love of playing the piano, or would she encourage her as Vanille had?  No, she found it hard to believe Fang would tease her for something so dear to her.

Still, it was certainly a conversation for them to have at some point.

Evia waved down some of the girls that were helping to arrange the mats and tables around the hall.  After a short discussion, they disappeared out a small side doorway, only to return moments later with some instruments; mostly drums with a single flute and two stringed instruments.  They set up along the outside of the center ring, facing inward.

“They are not the musicians that will be playing for the event..  but they need practice and will do for this.”

Evia guided them both more toward the center and positioned them next to each other.  Both faced her, as she faced them.  She handed them each two short wooden rods, then motioned for the girls to begin playing, and Light fought the urge to cringe.  The girls were definitely still learning and certainly needed the practice.  They seemed to have trouble keeping time with each other, but as they continued to play, they fell more into step.

Evia began her explanation as they warmed up.  “The dance has remained much the same since ancient times.  It is a long standing tradition that dates back to when the Yun were like any other tribe, well before the Clan moved into the mountains.  Dance was a means to attract a partner, by showing skill and stamina.  It is still used by many for that..  Ceremonies are times in which unbonded actively look for…  company.”  She grinned slightly, leaving Light no question as to what she really meant.

“It is, generally more important then, for those who will be dancing with you to do well, rather than you.  However they will be taking cues from the two of you, so keep in mind you will be setting the benchmark.”

“So if we do badly, we’re setting ourselves up for more than just embarrassment.”

“Basically yes.  Ideally, no one will judge you for it, especially knowing the shortness of your preparation and the fact that you,” she looked to Fang, “grew up mostly away from Artemi, and you,” sure turned to Lightning, “Are from a completely different culture..”  She spread her hands helplessly, “But unfortunately, we already know that some will be judging quite harshly _because_ of those things.”

Light was never one to back down from a challenge, and from the look of it, Fang was thinking the same thing.  She could already tell that the music was completely unlike what she had danced to before.  Before, it had always been formal; slow; designed to allow interaction and conversation.  The music the girls were playing was more of what Light would have called a primal beat; designed to get the blood pumping.  She couldn’t say she disliked it.  While she didn’t care much for the loud music they played in the clubs Serah once thought she was sneaky about going to, Light felt the two were quite different.  The Yun music was earthy and natural, whereas the club music was often just loud, but not loud enough to drown out the poorly constructed lyrics.

It wasn’t long after Evia started showing them the steps of the dance that Light began to realize that they were rather akin to simplified version of the steps used in battle.  The dancers would be set in pairs; Fang being her obvious partner for it.  The rods were used like basic swords, clacking against Fang’s every so often in a specific sequence, very much like a choreographed fight.  Her own fighting style was a bit different, which made some of the movements more than a little awkward but she could easily recognize most of them from watching Fang fight.

Still, she was unused to the somewhat harsh, tribal movements the added to the movements and began to feel self conscious when she realized some of the girls were watching her just as intently as Evia was.

Evia ignored the girls, entirely focused on Light.  “Loosen up!  As stiff as you are, you’ll never last through the entire dance.”

Lightning looked a bit disgruntled as Fang chuckled at her.  Apparently the Huntress was doing rather well, despite looking a bit winded.  ‘ _Well she_ is _still recovering,’_ she reminded herself as she put a bit more effort into relaxing and falling back into step with Fang.

For an hour Evia helped them both make minor corrections to their dance before she nodded in approval.  “I think you’re both doing well enough.  Keep practicing over the next few days and you should be just fine.”  She looked at Fang with a frown.  “Try and get some rest before the ceremony..”  She gave a small apologetic half bow as a small group of somewhat older warriors entered and waved to her.  “If you’ll excuse me, I have other duties to attend.”  She bid them both a good day and took the rods from them before turning to instruct the girls to pack up their instruments.

Lightning watched them parade away to put everything away before turning to Fang, who had sat down on the first tier around the outside of the ring.  “Are you alright?” She frowned as she sat down next to her.

Fang was panting a bit as she wiped some sweat from her brow.  “I’ll be fine.  Ooma might be upset, but I’m just a little weak from bein’ laid out.”  She smiled in reassurance.  “I’m fine, really.”  She stood and beckoned to Light as she moved toward the archway they’d entered from.  “Let’s go find Veda and get some food, yeah?”

 “Yeah.”  Light smiled and slapped her knees lightly as she stood and quickly followed.

 

 

They found Veda in the arena with the rest of the caste she’d been working with.  Not wanting to interrupt the lesson, they sat down on one of the outer tier to watch.  It wasn’t long before Nyx broke away from some of the girls on the other side of the arena and made her way up to join them.  The big cat rubbed along their legs, then turned and rubbed against Light as she nuzzled her head into Fang’s lap.

Fang chuckled as she fondly scratched the cat’s ears, mindful of the rather sharp horns that weren’t yet full grown.  “Hard to believe you used to be this lil tiny ball of fluff..”

Lightning smiled as she watched, idly running her hands along Nix’s haunches, which lifted and fell just slightly with each pass.  She allowed Fang the moment with their companion as she looked back to the caste on the stage.  She watched Veda going through the movements with one of the other girls.  She seemed to be holding her own, though they weren’t doing any contact, just going through the motions.

A small frown settled on her lips as she watched, her own curiosities cropping up again.  “Fang?”

“Yeah love?”

“What..”  She paused a moment, gathering her thoughts.  “What is Veda to you exactly?”

“Eh?”  She paused in her attentions to Nyx, though the canthor didn’t protest.  “What do you mean?”

“Is she family?  How do you define her?”

“Ah..”  She frowned thoughtfully, her eyes seeking the young girl out.  “Technically speaking, she’s..  kinda my niece I guess.  But by Yun tradition, we’re nothing to each other.”  She smirked, absently rubbing her finger down the length of one of Nyx’s still growing horns.  “’Least, we weren’t anything until I started mentoring her.”

“Ok, so what is she now?”

Fang looked at her with a raised brow.  “Uh.  My apprentice.. I guess?”  She tilted her head to the side, as the turned to look at Light, who was still focused on Veda.  “Why?  Does it bother you?” 

A slight worry crept into Fang’s voice, but Light didn’t need to hear it to know it was there.  She shook her head slightly.  “No, it’s not that.”

Fang moved a little closer to her and placed a hand on her knee, trying to coax her to say what was bothering her.  “What then?”

“She’s just a little girl. Little girls need their mother.”

“You and Serah did okay without your mother.  I didn’t have mine..  And neither did Vanille.”  Fang fell quiet and let that sink in until Light finally turned to her.  “You’re applying a culture that doesn’t apply here.”  She turned her body to face her, one leg curled between them and resting on the stone.  “Veda is Yun,” she tried to explain.  “She comes from one of the oldest lines.. so it doesn’t even apply the way Amara and Tia, where Tia is the _first_ Yun in the line.  Like all old lines, Veda’s set in her way.  It’s what she knows.  I mean, even if Leto was alive, Veda would still grow up mostly without her.”  She reached out and settled her hands in Light’s and rested them on her folded leg.  “She’s a good kid.  She’s strong and determined.  She’ll be just fine.”

“Even if what she knows is changing?”

“Well, that’s what we’re here for right?  She’ll adapt.  Kids are better at that than adults.  She’ll help us find a new way.”

 “I suppose you’re right.”  She gave Nyx a pat as she looked up to see Daya and Amara approaching them.  Amara gave a smile and small wave while Daya appeared to be all business, which put both Light and Fang on edge.

Fang stood when they drew near and clasped wrists with Daya as usual, but cut right to the chase.  “What’s goin’ on?”

“Nothing yet.”  Daya glanced back at the stage, likely making note of how much time they might have.  “Do you two have a minute?”

Fang nodded and shared a look with Lightning.  “Got awhile before Veda’s finished.”  Daya nodded and they all sat down.  Nyx settled as they did, staying close to Lightning.

“Have either of you had contact with the Guardians recently?”  Daya asked them, keeping her voice somewhat low, even though there wasn’t anyone nearby enough to hear.

“Not since Odin brought me here.”  Light replied slowly, unsure as to why Daya would ask.  They looked to Fang, who only shook her head, indicating she hadn’t seen Bahamut since he’d brought her back from the Falls.  “Why?”

“I was wondering if they had noticed anything unusual.”

“Like the herd.”  Fang’s eyes narrowed just slightly.   “Was wondering about that myself.  They didn’t  get that big before.”

“The herds?”  Light asked, for clarification.  Sometimes she felt like she was on the outside of things when she didn’t understand.

“Yes,” Daya supplied for her.  “Before our crystallization Behemoth would only group up during mating season, and normally a group would be two to five.  We’re seeing groups upwards of twenty members, which is why we have taken to calling them herds.  It’s unusual behavior from what we know.”  She shook her head, agitation mildly apparent.  “Some of the council are trying to pass it off as natural changes during the time we were asleep, but it’s an unnatural progression.  There is no reason for them to herd up as they are.  Behemoths are some of the top predators of the mountains, as they are in most places.  Other creatures like Megistotherians and Dragons of course share those top spots, but aside from unusual run ins, it’s rare you’ll see them tangle.”

Lightning processed that over in her mind.  “So they’re not likely to be doing it for protection.”

“Not unless something bigger is out there now.  I suppose 500 years of changes being made by Titan could have easily changed the hierarchy, but we haven’t seen any evidence of anything that would make such an upset.”  She looked thoughtful, watching the girls on the stage be directed by their instructor.  “I thought that even if Bahamut had been out of the loop for as long as we have, he’d be more likely to know if something had made such a dramatic change.”  She looked back to Fang, “I don’t suppose you know how to summon him?”

“I dunno.  I mean, he came when I was injured, but I don’t think I really called him exactly.  And it’s not like I can just pull a crystal anymore.”

“Have you tried?”  Lightning eyed her curiously.

“What?  No.  No L’cie brand, no crystal.”

“I meant simply trying to reach out.  If he knew you were hurt enough to go to you before, there must be some kind of connection.  I thought my run-in with Bahamut was luck, but now I wonder if it had something to do with our bond.”

Fang scratched the back of her neck as she tended to do when she was put on the spot.  “Well, wouldn’t hurt to try I guess.  Maybe go up to the bluff after dinner and see what happens?”

Daya looked pleased with the idea.  “Do you mind if we accompany you?”

 

 

It was quite different going up to the bluff after nightfall, rather than just before daybreak.  Instead of the temperature slowly rising, it was dropping.  Lightning pulled her cloak tighter around her to ward off the chill.  She noticed Amara doing the same, while Fang and Daya made no apparent notice of the cold.  It was wet as well; a light rain had been persisting since just before dinner and showed no signs of letting up. 

Once they made it up to the area they usually trained in, Daya and Fang went about getting a fire going, as well as setting up an open tented area to shelter them from the rain.  Amara and Lightning were given the task to scout the edge of the clearing and ensure nothing was amiss.

Once ensured the area was secure and the fire was going, they huddled under the small shelter.  Fang and Lightning sat facing each other while Daya and Amara stayed to the edges.  They joined hands and closed their eyes.  Meditation seemed the most obvious choice, so they decided to start there.

Together they focused, filtering out the world around them.  They focused on the constant sound of the rain and then pushed further past that to focus on the heat of their palms against the other.  Their breathing slowed but stayed in time with each other.

Light thought about Odin, imagined calling to him.  She knew Fang was doing the same for Bahamut.  She wasn’t sure how long they sat there before she heard a reply.

The reply, a simple snort along her mind, shocked her from her meditative state just in time to hear the squelching hooves in the mud.  As she stood, she noticed Fang was pulled from her concentration as well, though she saw no sign of Bahamut.  She moved toward the great white horse as Fang stood and followed her over.  “Odin.”  She smiled, accepting his greeting as he bumped his nose on her shoulder before allowing her to stroke it as if he were just a beloved horse like any other.  They both knew that he was nothing like a kept pet of any sort.

_‘Bahamut will not come.’_

She shared a look with Fang, though she could tell that her partner was more curious than understanding; she had not heard him.

_‘He is trying to reclaim his mountain.’_

She repeated what he had told her to the three observers.  Fang looked a bit distressed at such news.  “Reclaim it from who?”  she asked him, though she would have to rely on Light to pass his answer.

_‘Fenrir.’_

She relayed the reply and noted that now all three of them looked rather distressed.  “What can we do?”

 _‘There is nothing to be done yet.  Be patient but alert. If we are unable to retake control, there will be unrest throughout the mountains.  It may be better to simply leave.’_   He snorted again and turned his head to take in the two Yun and Nih. 

“They won’t,” she supplied softly, following his gaze.  This, she knew.  The Yun were perhaps too proud; too stubborn to simply give up their home.  It was all they retained of their world.

He snorted again, perhaps in irritation.  _‘I suppose they would not.’_   He tugged away from her and turned to leave.  _‘Be prepared.  I will try to keep you aware of what transpires.. but Bahamut is just as stubborn as his people.’_

Light smirked in amusement despite her unease as he disappeared back into the trees.  She turned to her partner and grasped her hand to calm her, then explained to them what Odin had said.


	19. Chapter 19

Contrary to belief, Lightning was generally not one to get up at the crack of dawn if she didn’t have to.  Usually work had her awake in the wee hours of the morn and so most of her friends thought it was routine for her, but Lightning always did like to sleep in a bit on days when work was not required.

Unfortunately, time in Artemi was shaping up to be anything but vacation.  Between preparing for the trials, discussing how best to ‘be ready’ for whatever Odin had warned them of and regular day to day issues, the days were becoming more and more filled with each one passing.

She stood on the precipice with Fang and Veda, going through the forms as they greeted the sun.  Nyx slept in the grass not far off, apparently not as interested in the sun as they were.

The last few days had them settled into somewhat of a routine.  They would wake and train as the sun rose and continue for a few hours more.  Then a break for breakfast before Veda would go to join the other caste for drills while Fang and Lightning would practice the dance for the ceremony.  Lunch would be taken with Daya and Amara before they broke from them to return to whatever training Fang felt Light would need for the upcoming Rites that Light would need to pass.  They would meet with Veda in the commons for dinner amongst the clan.  Fang was always on edge during such gatherings, but Light had insisted she had to be a part of the clan if they were ever to trust her.  After dinner there was time for them to relax together before turning in for the evening.

This day, however, would differ.  Training with Veda remained the same.  As the sun rose, Light could already see changes being made around the city below.  People scurried about, readying the streets for the opening festivities later in the day.  As they continued training on the ridge, the sunlight crept its way across the valley and lit up the city.  By the time they decided it was time for breakfast, the cool earthy tones that had once dominated Artemi had given way to a collection of colors.  Rich shades of purple, red and gold were beginning to dominate the city, accented with cool blues and lively greens.

The three of them paused to take in the differences.  Veda was alight with a childish fascination.  She’d never seen a bonding ceremony before and was quite excited to see such a vaunted part of their culture brought to life before her eyes.  Fang looked amused, not for the sights in the valley but for the one settled on her partner’s face.

Lightning looked as if she’d swallowed a live fish that was fighting for its freedom.  It was so rare for her to show such anxiety; Fang had only seen a vaguely similar look once before at Serah and Snow’s wedding.  She knew Lightning was not fond of the limelight, and for an _entire city_ to go into celebrations for her was understandably daunting. 

Try as she might, Lightning couldn’t shake the feeling that she was alone.  They’d already been told Fang would be able to help her prepare, but would be unable to participate in most of the rites.  Really, that made sense to Lightning, as Fang had already passed each of the rites ages ago.  The only one Fang had never taken part in before was the dance that they would both be participating in later in the evening.

She mustered a weak smile as she felt Fangs arms encircle her even as her aura exuded a calming effect on her.  She leaned back into her partner as she closed her eyes, allowing the vision of the city to fade with a single shuddering breath. 

“Y’ok love?”

“Mm.”  She murmured softly, not quite ready to come out of the warm mental space she’d just cocooned herself into.  Fang bowed her head down and nuzzle it into curve of her neck, where Light could feel her lips curl into a smile.

She knew Fang had grown up as part of a group.  In both Artemi and Oerba, Fang had never really known such a thing as privacy, and it was still something she struggled to understand after she woke from her second stasis.   Not only did she appreciate Fang's patience with her adjustments, but she also was beginning to understand what Fang had gone through during her initial adjustments to Cocoon culture as well.   In that, she supposed, they were alike; both trying to find their place in a society they had to learn on the fly.  It was both frustrating and comforting to her, though she couldn't quite explain why.

Frustrating perhaps, because no one else they knew seemed to have such problems.  Vanille had taken to the new lifestyle with her usual gusto and those from Cocoon were able to simply adjust their life style to fit their new setting.  In some ways, breaking a new path was far easier than trying to merge or conform to another.

Still, she took comfort in knowing that for now, they were unique.  They were blazing this path together, for better or worse.   She chuckled softly at the thought, prompting Fang to pull back enough to look at her quizzically.

She didn't have to see Fang's expression, nor hear the question that was unspoken.  She smiled and turned, only opening her eyes when she was facing away from the edge of the bluff and the city below.  "I can't believe we're..  married.  It all happened so fast.. It seems surreal."

Fang grinned.  "Technically, we're partially bonded.  We'll get married when we get back to Oerba.  If you want to, that is," she added hastily, unsure what Lightning's thoughts were on the matter, or even how people would react to such a thing, since she knew homosexual couples were considered 'wrong' in Cocoon society.

"Why Fang, are you asking me to marry you?"

Fang stepped toward her to close the distance Light had put between them and pulled the slightly smaller woman against her, her hands settled possessively on her hips.  "And if I am?"

Lightning settled her forearms on Fang's shoulders, her hands linked behind her neck.  "Well _if_ you are, I _might_ say yes." 

Fang mock pouted.  "Might?"

Light drew her left hand back to trace along Fang's collar bone while her right remained on her neck.  "Well, I don't know, you haven't asked, so I can't give you a real answer."

The cocksure grin that Lightning had come to both love and hate settled on Fang's lips.  "Marry me?"

"Yessss," She practically purred as she pulled Fang down enough for their lips to meet.  Fang's hands slid to the small of her back, pulling their bodies tighter together as she deepened the kiss.  To hell with society, they’d figure out the ins and outs of that later.

Somewhere to their side, Veda went unnoticed as she rolled her eyes at them.  "C'mon Nyx," She spoke softly to the great cat, giving her a gentle tug on one of her horns.  "Let's go get breakfast.  The lovebirds can catch up."

 

 

Fang was laughing at her again.  She let her annoyance cloud her aura, hoping her partner would get the idea that it was unappreciated. 

Fang seemed undeterred as she stepped up behind her and began swaying with her.   "Put more hip into it.  Keep your knees bent and put the swing into the base of your spine and hips instead."  She placed her hands on Light's hips and pushed her to exaggerate the movement she was making with them.  She tried, she really did.  Veda laughed off to the side, and Light finally stopped. 

"This is ridiculous.  It's been three _days_ and I still do it wrong."

"Tch."  Fang waved a hand as Light moved aside to pick up the water skin.  "You've got it, you just need to embellish it."  She motioned for her to step back.  "Watch me."

Light did as she was asked and stepped aside to lean against the wall next to Veda as she took a drag from the skin.  She was a bit perturbed.  This was the last chance they had to practice before they were expected to do the actual dance.  So they'd escaped after lunch back to Fang's line home for a little privacy.

Lightning had to admit she _loved_ watching Fang dance.  Fang made it look easy; the way she moved through the difficult steps made her body look so fluid.  The movement of toned muscle beneath sun kissed skin made her mouth dry and her body warm.  Unconsciously, she licked her lips as she tried to keep such feelings to herself.  By the look on Fang's face, she wasn't successful, but she could continue to try all she wanted.

She took another drink from the skin before handing it to Veda.  She would _not, could not,_ be shown up by her partner.  She moved into step beside Fang and mimicked her movements as she tried to remember to keep her knees bent. 

She loathed admitting Fang was right but it did make the movement easier.  Within a few more minutes, Fang had stopped to watch her.  She was elated to feel the wave of pride from Fang as she watched.

Hip thrust, turn, crouch and spin- she imagined the clack that would sound when the wooden rods would strike- raise and spin again- _clack_ \- bounce step to the left, dip to the right; she continued through the rest of the routine before looking to Fang and Veda for approval.

Veda clapped enthusiastically, which to Light, was a vast improvement on laughing.  Fang's approval was far more apparent to her, in both the hazy, lust darkened look in her eyes and the blatant need piped through their bond.  Light couldn't help the flush that worked over her face and chest.

Veda rolled her eyes at them again before setting the water skin down and making her way out of the small sort of rebuilt domicile.  She didn't feel like being privy to whatever the adults were about to do, especially when they went off into their own world like that, _again._

So she didn't see the heated meeting of lips and the desperate way Fang clutched at Lightning's clothes, fisting her hands in her jacket collar to still them so she wouldn't take things too far.

By the time they parted for air, they were both panting and struggling with the notion that they would have little to no privacy until the ceremonies were entirely over.  Fang let her forehead rest against Light's as they looked into each others' eyes.

"Almost time."  Fang's hushed whisper broke the silence.

"Mm."  Light nodded in return, not yet ready to move. 

Fang finally pulled her hands free, only to snake one around Light’s shoulders and the other into the hair at the nape of her neck.  She pulled her into a kiss once more, but once again restrained herself. 

"Ahem."  An amused voice sounded, interrupting their moment.

Reluctantly, they parted and turned to see Ava, watching them with an amused smile as she leaned on her glaive.  "Time for cleansing.  Ceremonial clothing will be provided for the procession to the Temple after."

 

 

Lighting hadn’t a clue what Ava had meant by cleansing. She could guess, to some extent, but she hadn’t been prepared for what she had been pushed into.

The room of the bathhouse was immaculate.  One would never have guessed that so much time had passed since it had last been used.  The marble coating the walls was flawless save for a few hardly noticeable cracks.  On the far side of the room stood a stature of a woman; Artemi, she guessed.  She was holding a pitcher of water which was situated to pour down a series of slopes that she supposed was meant to represent the mountains.  The lowest slope was flattened out, which caused the water to fan out before falling into the pool below.  It was just high enough for one to stand under like a shower of sorts.

Overall, the presentation was just as breathtaking as she had come to expect from this wondrous world of the Yun.  The glow from a ring of small torches that stood outside the pool lit the white marble in a soft, flickering gold.

“Yun Cyan will assist.” She motioned to the only occupant of the room, maybe slightly older than herself but certainly younger than Ava, who was dressed as Temple Sister.  Her dark waves of hair hung to her shoulders, but Light couldn’t tell what color it might have been.  Lightning eyed the girl for a moment.  “She is trustworthy,” Ava added in a hushed voice. 

She only nodded as Ava patted her once gently on the shoulder before turning to leave.  There was silence until the heavy door closed, leaving her alone with Cyan, who had moved to retrieve a tray that had been set near the wall.  Unsure of what to do, Light watched as she kneeled to place it on the edge of the pool.

As Cyan stood, she turned to Light and smiled, beckoning her forth. They stepped toward each other and met in the middle.  “Did Sybil Ava explain this to you?”

“Not really.”

The girl nodded slightly.  “Cleansing is ritualistic, but it has some basis in practicality as well.  There are two cleansings for a Promise Bond.  The first is short,” she waved a hand, “it is what we are doing now.  It represents going forth with a clean outlook and is usually performed after the day of feasting, just before the opening ceremony.  ..Only things have been changed a bit to hurry the process, as they have it set up that the opening ceremony will come first, then feasting and dancing.

“The second is a full day and will be after you have completed the trials.”  Light appreciated that she didn’t say _If_ she completed the trials.  “The idea behind it is to cleanse your scent so that when presented to your mate, she will be taken by only you, because Yun in general are sensitive to scent; Huntresses especially so.  Many Yun can identify close friends and family by scent alone.”

Light nodded, as that no longer seemed odd to her at all.

Cyan began to try and figure out how to divist her of her clothes.  Lightning moved to help, swiftly unbuckling her jacket.  She hesitated when she got to the straps that held up the holster for her gunblade.  Cyan smiled softly.  “I understand your hesitation, but the only weapons allowed in the hall for the opening ceremony will be those of the Temple Guards.  It will be returned to you after.”

“Who will be keeping it in the meantime?”

“I believe Yun Kaz has volunteered to retrieve it once we leave here, and will hold it until Sybil Ava retrieves it for you.”

Kaz, for the few times she had met her, seemed to be a good person.  She was kind, likeable and seemed trustworthy.  Trustworthy enough for Ava, and Light trusted Ava’s judgement.  She locked eyes with Cyan before nodding slightly and loosed her holster with the click of a few buckles.  The girl caught it before it hit the floor and settled it on a thinly cushioned platform with reverence, fully aware of Lightning’s gaze on her as she did so.  “A warrior’s Asi is to be respected.”  She stated softly as she returned to help her finish taking off the remainder of her clothing.  “That is a vow that is not broken among Yun.”  Light could only nod.

An Asi was the primary weapon that a warrior would use.  Every warrior was gifted the finely crafted weapon when they were officially recognized as a fully fledged warrior of the clan.  From that moment on, said weapon was considered part of the warrior.  That warrior would upgrade and alter her weapon as she saw fit, but would use it above all others for the remainder of her life.  Ideally, in the end the weapon would be burned with the fallen, and any remainder of it would be passed on to the next in line to be placed in their line home, which was believed to pass on the warriors strength to her line.  Light knew that while Fang had switched out her lance several times during their journey as L’cie, she always preferred her original, bladed lance, her Asi, to all others.  Lightning was the same way with her Blazefire.

Once nude, Cyan beckoned her toward the water and down the shallow steps that lead into the pool.  “Stand here.”  Lightning followed her direction, noting that Cyan waded into the waters without shedding her gold-trimmed, white shift that denoted her as a Sister of the Temple.  “Do like I do.”  She held her arms out and turned toward the statue and bowed her head.  Once Lightning had repeated the action, Cyan spoke a prayer of some sort in a language Light didn’t know; her voice soft, yet clear.  

Light repeated the phrase as best she could, though she was a bit self-conscious that she might have butchered it.  If she had, Cyan made no acknowledgement of it, she simply turned to the tray and retrieved a pitcher.  She gently poured the water from the pitcher over Light’s still bowed head and shoulders.  The water smelled sweet and clear, like rain on the plains.  It reminded her of Fang.  The thought brought the butterflies back to her belly.

On second thought, maybe it wasn’t butterflies; it was more like cotton clouding her brain.  She was feeling faint.  She stumbled but Cyan caught her and eased her down to sit on the steps.  “Easy now.  It will pass in a moment.”

It took her a few breaths before she was able to speak half coherently.  “Drugged me.”  She slurred, struggling to clear her head.

“The sika spore oil can do that..  I’m sorry, I should have realized..”  Cyan looked distressed, but remained calm as she sponged some water from the pool over her to dilute the oil further.  “Mom warned me..”  She hovered with a worried look as she continued soaking the sponge and dousing her with water from it.

“Mom?”  Light could feel the effect leaving her, which she was glad for.

“Ah..  Sybil Ava is my mother.”  She smiled softly, relaxing more as Light began to look more collected again.  “Apologies for the slip..  I am supposed to refer to her as Sybil or Sybil Ava during official Temple business.”

“Hmm.  How long do we have here?”

“A few hours before you must be ready for the ceremony.”

Light nodded as she slowly stood, which Cyan took as an ok to continue.  While the older woman turned to ready the next pitcher of water, Light watched, thinking.  “Are you able to answer questions?”

“Of course.”  Cyan replied as she mixed a red colored gel into the pitcher.

“How much are you able to tell me?”

She looked up at the question, her stirring pausing for only a moment.  “Well, I will be attending you throughout the trials.  I am here to support you and prepare you as best I can.  Though I am not a warrior..  Sybil Ava will set up whatever training you need with the help of warriors. However questions I can answer.”  She returned her attention to the pitcher and poured in a small bowl of what looked like dried herbs, stirring all the while.

“Can you tell me what the trials are exactly?”

“The first is stamina.  This will be tested in the dance.  Technically, it is not considered a ‘trial’ which is why it usually comes before the ceremony.  You can’t really fail it either..  but you can make yourself look bad.”

“Makes sense.  What comes next?”

“A survival course.  The first of two.  It will be constructed on the stage of the Amphitheatre.”

“What can I expect?”

“Expect it to be rather large.  Traditionally, it covers the entire stage.  Since they time frame has been shortened.. I am not sure how it might affect the course.”  She finished stirring and placed a mesh cloth over the top of the pitcher and secured it with a tie before carrying it over to Light and motioning for her to stand as she had before.  Light complied and she slowly poured the water over her neck and down her back, then down each arm starting at the shoulder.

“Obstacle course then?”

“Yes.  It will be you versus the environment.  A few warriors will be scattered along the course, but they will only be there to trigger the course as needed.  You will not have to face any of them at this point.”

That sounded easy enough.  “What is the second survival course?”

“You won’t have to worry about it until the end, but it is commonly referred to as the Gauntlet.  You should expect anything you have faced in the trials before it to appear within.  Fang may be able to help you though, as it is traditionally a partnered test.  Though the council has the right to disallow Fang and force you to choose a different partner.  They may even supply a partner for you.”

“Fair enough.”  She watched Cyan put the pitcher aside and retrieve a small glass filled with clear gel.  When she returned to her, she motioned for Light to sit on a raised step in the center of the pool.  When she sat, the water came up just over her hips.  “Tell me more about the obstacle course.  Are there rules?”

Cyan poured the gel into her hair and started to massage it in as she spoke.  “Only the expected ones.  You must stay on the course, you can’t skip obstacles, you will be unarmed and you can’t have help.  Anything you are allowed to use will be on the course.  You won’t get a practice run, but during the downtime before, Fang and those who are wishing you to succeed may take you through some exercises to prepare you for some of the possibilities.  However, since they cannot see the course either, they won’t know what specifically to prepare you for.”

“And this is a trial all Yun are expected to pass?”

“To some extent, yes.  It is the first real trial Yun girls face.  To complete it marks the passage from child to warrior in training.  It’s a rather important milestone for Yun girls, as it determines their course in life.”

“How so?”

As she began to answer, Cyan retrieved the pitcher to rinse the suds from her hair.  “If she passes, she shows the aptitude necessary to continue warrior training.  A successful run is scored and the girl is given her official class.  Usually girls will follow their mother’s class, but there have been times when they have been placed differently.  On the other hand, if she fails she is given a few options.  She can join the next caste down and try again when they run the course in two years, or she can opt to bind herself to the temple.  To try again is usually expected.. but to fail a second time brings a shadow over your line.  Many girls know by that point if they were simply unlucky or if they are not cut out to be a warrior.”

She quieted as she gently rubbed the suds away.  Light waited, knowing there was something more she wished to say by the somber look that had crossed her face.  “My mother is a Warrior.  But she is a special kind.  She walks both paths.”

“A Warrior Priestess?”

Cyan nodded.  “More or less.  She is a Sybil, which is the highest rank she can obtain short of the council itself.  I felt great shame when I failed the first trial..  She is so revered by the Clan.. when I failed it felt like I disappointed everyone.  But my mother.. she didn’t get to where she is by only accepting one way of doing things.  She was very supportive of me binding myself to the Temple.”

Light could only imagine what it must feel like to a young girl to fail under so much expectation.  She said nothing as Cyan continued, shrugging lightly as she poured more water to rid the last of the soap.  “It wasn’t nearly as bad as I had expected it to be really.  With all our early training, we get the misconception that anything that is not a warrior is less in the eyes of the Clan.  But it isn’t true at all.  Warriors are highly valued, but being part of the Temple is sacred and also needed within the Clan.  It took me a long time to realize that, despite what anyone said around me.”

“Did they treat you as less?”

She moved to retrieve what Light expected was a sort of conditioning crème.  “Not at all.  It was simply what I had built up in my head.  I am not sure what my Caste thought at the time, since I stopped training with them, but once I started seeing them again, they were all very supportive as well.”

Light nodded with just a slight incline of her head.

“You won’t have that option unfortunately.  These trials will make or break your promise,” she spoke softly while working the crème into her hair.  “Though I expect you will have no problem completing them.”  She smiled, “Even if you did fail by some unfortunate twist of the cosmos, you would still be bound to Fang.”

“Just not accepted as a full member of the Clan.”

 

 

Once she was dry and had been swathed in several layers of gauzy white linen and silk, Cyan open the doors.  They were met by a group of six women wearing identical shifts of royal purple with silver trim.  The silky fabric was cinched around their chest with a silver ring between the breasts, then a matching skirt that fell freely in the front and back but was open over the hips.  The front and rear pieces of the skirt were held together by matching rings on each hip.  Peeking out from under the fabric to cover what would have been the bare skin of their shoulders, torso and thighs was very delicate looking armor, fashioned like layered dragon wings.  Light wasn’t certain if the black and silver armor really was delicate or not, but if she had to guess by placement, she had to figure it was functional.  Each of them also carried a matching ornate glaive; the ceremonial weapon of the Temple.  They snapped to attention as the doors opened.

They were her Honor Guard.  Light made no motion of recognition when she realized Daya and Amara were in lead of the group.  She had a feeling Ava had set that up, to ensure some control, _just in case_.

As they stepped out of the room, the guard rearranged themselves around them.  Daya took the lead in front of Lightning, while two of the other women took stride next to her.  Behind Lightning was Cyan, with two more of the guard on either side of her.  Amara fell to the rear just behind Cyan.  They were spaced out enough that even if each of them held their arms out, they would be roughly a step away from touching their neighbor.  Cyan had explained this to Light already; it was ceremonial, only Cyan or a priestess was allowed close enough to touch, as touching would ruin the cleansing.

As they started the walk to the temple, Light could feel the tense jitters of anxiety, but she wouldn’t let them show.  She focused as she always had in the military and only showed an outward calm.  It was easier knowing that two of those she trusted were in charge of her safety, even if she would still feel safer carrying her blade.

The procession was joined by a veritable parade of other Yun who fell into step behind them as they went around the long way through the market.  As they passed the stalls, most of which were still busy despite the celebration, there was a mix of cheering and general celebration and far more reverent bowing than Light had ever expected to see.  In effort to keep her anxiety at bay, she kept her gaze low, eyes open only enough to follow her guard.

In the back of her mind, she was aware of the giddy excitement she could recognize as Fang.  As they neared the temple steps, her guard came together with a second group.  The parade behind them stalled at the bottom of the steps as the two groups of guards merged and fanned out into two lines to either side of them.  Cyan moved away from her a few steps, as another Temple sister she didn’t recognize stepped back to reveal Fang.

For a moment, Lightning forgot to breathe.  In the back of her mind, she knew Fang was having the same reaction, but she found it hard to acknowledge over her own. 

Fang looked, in a word, gorgeous.  Light had never seen her in much more than her Sari or jeans save for Sarah’s wedding where Fang had worn a pantsuit with a sash which Light had been reluctant to admit made her look rather dashing; so seeing her in a similar gown of artistically layered linen and silk was quite the change.  For something so simple that she herself had not thought much of it as she’d been dressed, it brought out an unexpected visual elegance on Fang. (Not that she didn’t think Fang elegant anyway.)  The white half hood diffused just enough light to bring out the rich color of Fang’s skin.  (Which she loved so much.)  Her eyes were similarly lit up with a shadow of dark green and black which made them almost hypnotic.  (A shade of jade that made her knees weak.)  She noticed Fang’s eyes dip under her scrutiny and was suddenly aware of just how much appreciation Fang had for how she looked as well.   She saw Fang’s lips curl just slightly as they met gazes.  She felt the heat rise in her chest and cheeks and hoped she wasn’t blushing terribly bad.

The rest of the world was a blur beyond the two of them.  The temple sisters urged them to step together, but the encouragement was unnecessary as they gravitated together and joined hands.  Neither spared a glance to Ava as she stepped before the crowd.  Neither of them heard a word of the speech she made. 

Fang, Light could feel, was anxious but calm.  As they had come together and got lost in each others’ gaze, her calm became absolute.  Light took that calm and wrapped it around her rising panic like a comfortable old blanket.  Soon, that calm wove its way around her mind and settled there, pushing the panic away until it was nothing but a fog around the outside of her mental perception.

Nothing existed except the two of them until they felt Ava’s hands weight down lighting on their own, pulling them out of the trance they had ensconced themselves in.  They looked to her briefly, then back to each other as she spoke.  “Tonight, we celebrate love.”

Fang stepped forward as if that was some cue and the next thing Light knew was Fang’s arms around her and her lips against her own.


	20. Chapter 20

She was far more aware of the cheering and looks they were receiving as they were ushered into the temple proper.   The sounds echoed off the smooth marble and followed them even as they moved away from the entryway and toward the main hall. 

A new round of cheers went up as they entered the main hall and the smell of roasted meats reminded her that she’d missed lunch.   The hall was lined on all tiers by short tables surrounded by mats and cushions.  Around the outer edge of the room, the walls were mostly covered with banners of deep reds and golds.  There was one table on the upper tier next to the large doors that was backed by banners of purple and silver; that was the table they were lead over to.  Women were seated around each table, socializing and laughing.  Overall, Light was reminded of Sarah’s wedding reception.   It was almost funny how alike the two cultures could seem at times.

She smiled as she felt Fang squeeze her hand and moved closer to her so they were shoulder to shoulder.  “You okay?”  She asked, softly enough to keep the exchange private, but loud enough to be heard over the noise in the hall.

“I’m fine.  I was thinking about Sarah’s wedding reception.”  She nodded to a girl who carried a pitcher to their table and watched as she poured water into glasses provided by another girl.

“Oi!”  Fang laughed as she accepted the water.   “Aren’t you glad you don’t have to pay for this party like that one!” 

They both looked up and smiled as they were joined at their table by Ava, Daya and Amara.   Since there were Temple Guards stationed periodically throughout the hall, their own guard wasn’t needed and dispersed to either take up a position or, as in Daya and Amara’s cases, change and join in the festivities.  Light was glad they were able to join them, since they were the best friends she felt they had in all of Artemi.

Daya accepted a kiss from Amara, who seemed amused as she settled against her mate.  “Reminds me of our bonding ceremony.”  She was smiling happily, seemingly content to be ‘off duty’ for awhile to enjoy the festivities.

Light felt Fang scoot even closer to her as she wrapped her arms around her and pulled her tight to her.   She shook her head and chuckled as she felt Fang take in a deep breath.  She knew she was taking in her scent and made no move to let her go for several minutes.  She only relented when a platter of various meats was placed on the center of their table.  As they separated, the meat platter was followed by one of flat bread and one of both cooked and raw vegetables, each set to one side of the meats.

Fang’s stomach rumbled and she grinned sheepishly as everyone laughed. 

***

If pressed, Lighting would later say she didn’t really remember much about the evening.   She would recall a whirlwind of activity.  She could recall the steady stream of well wishers that stopped by their table.  She could _vaguely_ recall Ava commenting that many of them were ‘feeling her out’ to make their own opinions about her.  She could recall the vibrant colors and the general noise of a few hundred women sharing in merriment.  The rich smell of food that was so exotic to her, she wasn’t even sure what she had eaten.  She could distinctly recall the complete lack of anything alcoholic; she considered that an impressive difference in comparison to Sarah’s reception.  Impressive in that she found the general atmosphere made her feel comfortable enough to have a good time without the crutch of alcohol.

She remembered laughing and talking; listening to countless stories from the Yun who visited their table.   (She would say she wished she could remember the stories themselves; hopefully some would come back to her.)  She could distinctly remember after several hours of such goings on, the sudden sounds of the drums began.  The dancers- Fang and herself- had been called down to take their places.  Shortly after, several other dancers excitedly filled in the rest of the ring around the recessed fire.

Originally, Light had thought the whole ordeal would make her nervous.  The very real danger of falling into the fire pit seemed like something that would make any of them nervous; however she found that none of it fazed her.  She felt confident when Fang smiled at her; giddy even.  Once the dancers were all handed the short wooden rods, the drums began the rhythm that had become so familiar to her over the last few days.  The dance began and everything around them faded.

It went on for hours.  The hall darkened as the daylight faded, then was lit only by the fire in the pit and candles upon each table.  She’d gotten so lost in it, the other dancers might as well have been mist in the night.  She barely even noticed as dancers switched out for new ones.  She could remember the exhilaration she felt, the stolen glimpses of Fang as she turned.  Each time their sticks clacked against each others, she could almost swear there were sparks.

It all went by far faster than she ever expected it could.  When they were relieved, the sky was already lightening.  Both she and Fang were breathing harder than she could ever recall while being uninjured.  To say their skin was slickened with sweat was a terrible understatement.  She could feel the tingle of exhaustion starting to settle into her muscles as the adrenaline began to fade.  But none of it mattered as she felt Fang’s arms wrap around her, followed in quick succession by a meeting of lips.

She welcomed the kiss eagerly and wrapped her arms up over Fangs shoulders to tangle her fingers in her hair.  Fang’s hands, she noted, traveled down around her hips to settle on her rear.  She didn’t object when Fang pulled her against her, so deliciously tight.  The reality of how many people were around them only began to settle in when she felt Fang’s hand creep up the bare flesh of her thigh.

She pulled back from the kiss, startled out of the moment.   “Fang..”  She mumbled, breathless.

Fang didn’t seem perturbed at her sudden retreat.  She just smiled and rested her forehead against Light’s.  “Still shy?”  She turned her head, which in turn prompted Light to do so as well. 

What she saw made her already warm body jump a few more degrees.  Everywhere she looked women were paying particularly intimate attention to each other.  They were mostly paired off but even a few groups seemed lost in their own little world that only existed around them and their playmates.

Her eyes drew back to Fang when she heard a rather throaty chuckle from her, but continued on to take in the same erotic scene on the other side of the hall.  She knew this was the purpose of the dance; for available Yun to find viable playmates.  She never expected that the _Hall_ would be the playground.

She looked back to Fang, hoping the pink tinge to her skin was difficult to see in the still low light within the hall.  “You could have warned me..”

“And miss the look on your face?”  She chuckled again before leaning in to nuzzle her neck.  “Not a chance..” she breathed against her pulse point before kissing it gently.  She made her way back up to claim her lips.  Once they mutually pulled back, she smiled and spoke, her voice low.  “But maybe we should retire back to the house…?”

Light smiled then, accompanied by a short nod, clearly grateful to not put herself on such intimate display for so many people.  “It’s ok if we go?”

Fang laughed again, tugging on her wrist as she pulled away and moved toward the door of the hall.  “None of them will even notice.”

***

 

When morning came, she found herself comfortably ensnared within Fang’s embrace- something she was quickly growing to love- though the comfort was ruined by the sticky, clammy feel of their skin.  They’d made it back to the canvas covered line home just in time to feel the exhaustion set in.  Snuggled together, sleep had come swiftly.  Now however, the need to bathe was arguing with the need for food, which her stomach chimed in with.

Fang gave a happy purr of a chuckle as she peeled herself away from Light and stretched.  “Mornin’ love.”

Light smiled as she pulled away, uncaring that she was clothed only in her underwear and a rather light layer of the gauzy linen she’d been dressed in for the dance.  She moved to the edge of the canvas roof and looked toward the sky as she stretched herself.  “I think it’s a bit beyond morning.” 

“So it is.  But sleepin’ in was worth it eh?”

She smiled back at Fang, watching her as she stood.  “For last night?  Certainly.”   Fang moved over to her and accepted her offered hand.  “Bath and lunch?”

“Sounds like a plan.”

The walk to the bathhouse was unusually long.  A curious mix of music and noise could be heard from the direction of the market place, so Fang took them around through a different path to avoid it all.  The bath house itself was packed, but an attendant waved them over and showed them back into the fancy private bath Light had been ushered into the day before.  Once they entered, she closed the door behind them and left them to their privacy.

Fang looked around with an awed whistle.  “Fancy.”

Lightning glanced at her as she slipped out of her clothing and sandles, which she set in a pile next to the fresh clothing that had been left folded on the bench for them.   “You didn’t have a bath like this yesterday?”

“Nope.  Cleansing for the Yun side of a bond is outside.  More or less the same ritual I think, just outside.  As the legend goes, if you get attacked by a dragon during cleansing, Either Etro or Artemi doesn’t approve of the bond.”

Lightning couldn’t tell if she was joking or not, though it didn’t really seem like it.  “…Has anyone ever been attacked?”

Fang shrugged as she slid out of her linens.  “Probably.  There’s a dragon roost at the top of the mountain.”  She paused, her eyes narrowing just slightly in what Light was now recognizing as mild irritation. “At least, there used to be.  I guess they might’ve moved on by now, though I don’t really see why they would.” 

Light could feel the mood lift as Fang shook the irritation of lost time off.  “Don’t matter right now though does it?  Rather focus on what’s in front of me.” 

The grin she turned on her was obvious in its intention, and one Light might have struck her for in the past.  For now she only rolled her eyes and descended into the pool.  Fang followed without prompt and despite the area available to them, settled directly next to her.  Before she could voice any sort of discomfort of being so close in a place where it would be inappropriate to explore that closeness, Fang turned and started soaping up a sponge. 

Realizing Fang’s intent, she turned to allow her access to her back.  She was quiet as she felt the warm sponge on her back along with Fang’s gentle touch.   Her eyes drifted closed as she simply enjoyed the moment.

“How things change..”  Fang’s voice was soft when she spoke, as if she were afraid of disturbing some holy place.

“Hmm?”  Light turned, stilling Fang’s hands in her own as she waited for her to continue.

“It’s just..  I was giving up hope.”  She motioned between them, “Of this- of _us_.”  She looked down at the hands, once again settled and still together in the water.  “I guess, I was ready to just..”

She could feel the guilt and heartache flood Fang’s side of the bond.  She’d known her inability- no- her _unwillingness_ to act had hurt her.  She’d known that Fang was ready to give in, even if she hadn’t been conscious of the bond at the time.  She’d known because Fang had been so lost and unsure of where she stood.  Unsure enough to want to leave and look for answers when there had been a good chance they weren’t out there.

“I’m sorry.”  They words seemed so trite, so underwhelming compared to how she felt, so she let the bond fill in.  “I left you to go it alone again.”  She met Fang’s eyes, needing her to know how sincere she was.  “I’m very good at denying things..  But no more.  I won’t deny this anymore, and I won’t leave you to face it alone.”  She raised a hand out of the water and placed it against Fang’s cheek, tears mingling with the water.  “I love you.  And you’re right, when things change, they do so quickly for us.  But it’s alright, because we’ll face it together.”


	21. Chapter 21

Lightning had to admit the mountainside was beautiful.   The mid-day sun had burned away the morning dew and winter was still far enough away that the temperature was reasonably warm.  She had been allowed to change into garments more befitting her comfort; fitted grey leather breeches, a loose sleeved linen top and a light leather vest to match the breeches.   Her boots had been returned to her, as well as her gunblade, which was settled where it belonged against the back of her thighs.

Several steps before her, Daya and Amara walked as close to side by side as they could on the narrow path.  Most often, Amara would take a step back and remain a step behind Daya, close enough for them to continue the conversation between them.  Lightning couldn’t hear what they were saying, but she was certain Fang could, and since Fang wasn’t concerned, she figured she needn’t be either.  Most likely they were taking advantage of being out of the city to have a personal conversation, as Light had come to know Daya wasn’t one to talk much around others.   It was something she could generally relate to.  

She glanced over her shoulder.  A few steps behind her, Fang was back in her habitual blue sari, and looking all the more relaxed for it.  Her lance was resting across her right shoulder, counter balanced by her arm.  She wasn’t paying so much attention to where they were walking as much as watching the area around them.  Her eyes would drift swiftly between the sharp slope to their right and the sky, while her left hand trailed against the rock face they were walking along.  She was calm, but it only took minor prodding through their bond to realize she was really quite focused.

“Fang?”  The soft query drew her attention, but Lightning didn’t have to ask.

“Sorry, just tryin’ to get a feel for the mountain.  Been in the city too long.”  Fang spun her lance down under her arm and stowed it across her back before stretching her arms.  “Feels good, y’know?”

Light nodded, slowing just enough for Fang to close the gap between them.  She could feel the truth in that statement, but also an underlying concern.   Patiently, she waited for Fang to continue.  After a few more glances to the sky, she finally did.   “Bein’ trailed by a dragon.”

Ahead of them, Daya stopped and turned to look at them.  “Are you sure?”

Fang looked to her and tilted her head, as if wondering if she really had to ask. 

Daya got the message and turned her eyes to the sky behind them.  “Friendly?”

“Dunno.  It’s staying on the edge of my perception, hard to get a read.”

Lightning’s hand drifted back to the hilt of her blade.  “How far?”

Fang turned, looking behind them as she placed her hand fully on the rock again.  “About two kilometers I’d guess.”

Amara quietly drew her bow.

“Can’t be very big though.  It’s been keepin’ to the cliffs rather than takin’ wing.”  She pulled her hand from the rock and patted her hands together to rid them of the dust.  “I’d guess it’s just keepin an eye on us.  If it’s small enough to stay on the rocks and keep up without knocking trees off, it’s not likely to be hunting us.”  She grinned at them.  “Bahamut wouldn’t be too happy about it if it was anyhow.”

Daya wasn’t amused.   “I don’t suppose you could call it out?” 

“It’s a dragon, not a dog.”  She shook her head and Light could feel her annoyance.  “The only one I can talk to is Bahamut, so don’t ask.”  She glanced back toward the cliffs and shrugged.  “It’s probably just curious.”

Daya nodded, accepting of that answer.  “Keep a look for it and let me know if it changes.”

Fang mock saluted; a confusing gesture to Daya, but it earned a chuckle from Light as they started moving again.

 

 

 

Nearly an hour of trekking and climbing later, they reached a flat area with only a few trees.  Arranged tightly to make the most of the space were several wooden constructs.  Obstacles, interspaced with hazards such as mud pits or sharp rocks made it obvious what the purpose of their little excursion today.  Training.

“I commissioned some help to set this up for you.  There’s one inside Artemi, but the younger castes are usually all over it since they can’t leave the city.  This area should be safe from any dangerous wildlife.. We’re close enough to the dragon nesting area that the wyverns stay away.  Dragons don’t usually bother us.”  Daya glanced to Fang, making it fairly apparent that she also figured her presence would be a deterrent to any dragon who might think they look like tasty snacks.

“We have no way of knowing what you’ll face in the trial, so we tried to bring up a good range of possibilities.”

Light looked around as she followed Daya along the edge of the course, taking in the various obstacles.  “Feels like boot camp.”

Fang chuckled at the two confused looks the statement had earned Light.  Lightning just looked back at them, her usual ‘soldier’ mask slipping into place.  “Military training.  We had to do plenty of obstacle courses.”

Daya nodded in return as they got to what Light surmised was the beginning of the course.  “Then this shouldn’t be a problem for you.  We didn’t bring a way to time you, so I thought it might be a good idea to race.  Amara will spot for us, and the three of us will run the course.”  She looked back over the course.  “We’re all seeing it for the first time right now, so it’s about as even footing as I can give.”

“Should Fang even be doing this?”  Lightning glanced at Fang, indicating her injured arm.  The cut from the Behemoth was nearly healed over, but still looked irritable.

Fang just grinned and flexed her arm, showing that it could take it.  “Got the ok from Ooma before we set out.”

Lightning nodded and moved to undo the straps that held up her gunblade.  At the same time, Fang pulled off her belt and lance, then proceeded to unwind the top of her sari and fold it.  Lightning caught herself watching.  Fang was facing away from her as she began unwrapping the bottom part of her sari, slowly revealing more and more of her shapely rear and legs.  She would never admit to it, but she had a weakness for a nice butt and thighs.  She mentally shook herself as Amara took her sheathed gunblade from her with a knowing smirk.  She hoped she wasn’t blushing _too_ much.

Fang was pointedly not looking at her, but she knew she’d felt every bit of that lust spike through the bond, and the embarrassment that followed the realization.  Light flushed a bit more when she realized Fang was quietly laughing at her.  Daya shook her head and spared a small smile toward her mate at their antics.

Once their weapons and Fang’s sari were set safely aside, the three of them lined up.  It looked like the first part was a sprint partway around the outer ring of the course.  Toward the end of the flat sprint, a few obstacles were integrated, and it just got progressively more difficult from there. 

To her left, she saw Fang shake her head.  Running wasn’t difficult, but she knew Lightning was going to smoke them in the beginning.  She tossed her a grin as she settled into a start position.   No words were needed.  Time to get to work.

“Ready?”  Amara waited for them to get into position. “Set!”  Lightning kept her eyes forward, trying not to be distracted by the ripple of Fang’s muscles as she tensed next to her.  “GO!”

The three of them exploded down the length of the curve, Lightning quickly outpacing both Fang and Daya.  But she knew, this was not only about speed, but endurance.  She didn’t bother to hit her top speed, she’d need that energy later.   The first few obstacles were light hurdles made from poles crossed over other poles.  None of them had any trouble.  The last hurdle was a wall, about two meters high.  She jumped and grabbed the top to pull herself over.  Fang didn’t even bother.  She vaulted, throwing herself over the wall backward only to land on the sand behind it in a roll.  Daya was a split second behind her.

Agitated that they’d caught up to her and _passed_ her so quickly, Lightning dropped from the wall and broke back into a short sprint to catch up.  The next obstacle was a crudely dug pool of murky water.  The three of them dove in nearly together and began the swim to the other side.

On the sideline, Amara followed along, keeping watch to ensure they all stayed in bounds and didn’t sabotage each other purposely.

Daya was first out of the pool, followed closely by Fang, though Lightning was nearly matched to her.  Daya took a moment to shake the water from her hair and her hands as best she could, sizing up the next obstacle.  Lightning could see why, as the next was a series of uneven monkey bars that went on for several meters.  The heights of the bars were not even, nor were the spacing between them. 

Lightning followed Daya’s lead and tried to rid herself of some of the water.  The water would make the bars slick, but the wet leather also added weight.  Fang might not notice the extra weight in her position, but Lightning certainly did.  She quickly glanced around to what of the course she could see, then made a decision and pulled off the breeches before tearing the sleeves from the linen shirt.

As she and Daya prepped for the bars, Fang didn’t even pause.  She’d shaken her hair out as she’d gotten out of the pool. She gave her arms a cursory shake as she took the few steps to the bars and jumped to grab the first one. 

Daya got moving before Light had finished and Fang was dropping from the last bar as Light got started.  She tuned them out, knowing that getting upset about them being ahead would only make her sloppy.

Her arms ached a bit once she made it across the bars, but aside from nearly slipping once before the heat from the sun warmed bars dried her hands, they hadn’t been very difficult.

She dropped from the last bar directly onto a slim log, which she easily made her way across.  The log let off on slightly elevated platform with a railing that forced her to turn to the left.  A series of more platforms were there, each within jumping distance of their neighbor.  Daya was just ahead of her, but Fang had already moved ahead.  She grit her teeth and jumped to the first platform easily.  The second was slightly higher, but still posed no problem.  The third was higher still, and a farther distance across, so she took a few steps to get a head start and jumped.   She landed in a graceful tumble, nearly knocking into Daya, whom she’d caught up to.

They narrowed their eyes at each other before both taking the jump to the last platform.   Landing without a problem, they each reached up to the rope and began the climb.  It was about a 45 degree angle, so they each hooked their legs over the rope as they pulled themselves up toward the next platform.   Suddenly Lightning wished she hadn’t ditched her pants.  The rope burned against her bare legs, forcing her to slow down lest the rope do real damage.  Daya had no issues, as she had opted to keep her pants and paid her no heed as she easily pulled ahead.  Lighting watched from the halfway point as Daya pulled herself onto the platform, and noticed that the rope had apparently slowed Fang as well, and likely for the same reasons.  She continued as the two of them moved on.

Once she made it to the top, she took a moment to catch her breath and try and cool the rope burn on her leg.  She glanced over the side of the platform to her left to see what the next part was, only to see a series of ropes over a mud pit several meters below.  She rubbed her hands together a bit before taking hold of the first rope.

Swinging from rope to rope wasn’t the problem; that was easy.  Hanging on when her hands had already been roughed up from the first rope was more of a problem.  The Yuns ahead of her didn’t seem to have any problem, but she knew firsthand how callused Fang’s hands were, which probably afforded them some protection from it.  Her hands, treated with care all her life by Cocoon healing methods until the fall, had not yet developed such defenses.   But she made it across, valiantly ignoring the burning in her palms and fingers.

She didn’t even pause as she moved through the next few platforms, each fairly easy drops down to the next, gradually bringing them back to ground level and another pool.  She found Daya there, looking a bit winded.  Across the pool there were several logs tethered so they couldn’t move too far from their assigned places.  She could see Fang hadn’t had any trouble crossing, despite the way the logs would not only shift underfoot, but also dip and even roll.  Well, Light knew her speed could help here.  After taking a moment to catch her breath, she stepped onto the first log but didn’t wait long enough to lose her balance.  She simply continued on, skipping across each log in turn until she hit the opposite bank.  Daya, apparently spurred on by being passed, was right behind her.  After the log pool, there was another sprint around a massive tree, with not only hurdle, but haphazard roots from the tree just waiting to trip them up.  The hurdles were sturdier than the earlier ones, however and while Light easily vaulted over them without touching them, Daya took a slightly different approach and used her hands.  They both kept pace and Daya reached the next obstacle just a moment after Light. 

A tall climbing wall stretched upward before them.  Fang was nearly to the top.  Light wasted no time as she launched herself into the climb, Daya hot on her heels.  Her arms burned with the exertion.  She could easily understand how Fang was managing to stay ahead, her strength and endurance both greater than her own.

Between her aching muscles and wet boots, the climb proved to be rather difficult for her.  Daya fared a bit better, and Lightning realized why they apparently favored the open toed boots as she watched Daya bypass the tread of her boots and opt to use her toes for the climb instead.   She filed that away for later as she pushed herself up the wall.

She allowed herself a moments rest at the top of the wall, indulging herself as she watch Fang pull herself up the vertical rope by arm strength alone.  She tried not to dwell on how sexy she decided that was; the ripple of muscle with each pull, or the sweat that made her skin shine.   She shook her head free of lustier thoughts and focused on the course.

She knew there was no way she would be able to go up the same way, she was too tired and didn’t have the same strength in her arms.   The rope itself was knotted along the way, so she’d be able to use her legs to help. 

Fang easily made it to the top of the rope climb first.  Daya caught up to her there, and Light caught up to them not long after.  Both winded, they opted to stop and catch their breath.  Understandable, as a fall from the height of the platform they sat on would lead to injury.

She sat next to Fang, her legs dangling off the edge just as hers were.   She looked on to the next obstacle and agreed that yes, resting a moment was an excellent idea.  Before them stretched a series of vertical poles that did not look stable at all.  Atop each pole was a tiny platform, not quite big enough to get both feet onto.   The trail of platforms wasn’t even straight, it curved around to meet up with another resting platform situated into the branches of the huge tree they’d sprinted around after the log pool.

She could feel Fang’s trepidation at this obstacle.  Daya’s face was unreadable, but her hesitation said everything to Light. 

She stood and approached the first of the poles, which was close enough to test without putting her full weight upon it.  It wobbled, unsteady, but wasn’t as bad as she had expected it to be.  Overall the poles seemed strong enough, but she was sure any hesitation would mean the pole would bow and if not dump her on the ground, was likely to take her well out of range from any of the others.  “Hmmm.”

She glanced to Fang and Daya as both of them watched her sizing up the obstacle.  She knew the fact that the line of platforms wasn’t straight was going to make this tougher than it would have been otherwise.  She rotated her shoulders and neck to loosen the muscles.  She could feel Fang’s curiosity, but didn’t even spare her a smile as she flipped backward, landing a hand on the first platform.  Using her momentum, she flipped again, landing a foot on the next one.  She could feel Fang’s slight panic as she stood on the platform, worried should she fall.  She pushed Fang’s worry to the back of her mind and kicked off the platform, doing her best to compensate for its sway as she corrected her trajectory toward the next platform.  Another handspring and she successfully made it to the last of the tiny platforms, which bowed toward the tree and the safety of the resting area, which she casually stepped onto as if she hadn’t a care in the world.

She faltered only as she felt Fang’s pride well up.  She continued to face away from them as she tried to reign it in.

“Well.  That was impressive.”  Daya’s stoic mask cracked as she spoke softly to Fang.

“That’s Light for ya.  Full o’surprises.” 

Fang and Daya made their way across, though a bit more cautiously and not nearly as flashy.  Light hadn’t been able to see them cross she as fought to regain emotional control, and take in the last obstacle, which appeared to just be to climb down the tree and cross the finish.

She didn’t glance at who stepped onto the platform behind her as she chose her route down it and began her descent.  She made it to the bottom first, but even as she turned toward the finish line, Fang dropped out of the try into a crouch about a meter away from her.  Daya followed suit only a moment later.  Fang and Lightning crossed the finish at nearly the same time, while Daya just shook her head with a smirk and leisurely followed behind.

Once she was certain they were finished, Light collapsed gratefully into the cool grass.  Amara approached with water and rolled waxleaves that held some dried meats for them so snack on.  “Well done Lightning!”

“Oi.. we made it too!”  Daya groused at her mate, amused as she settled into the grass next to Fang.

“A bit on the slow side I think.”  Amara smirked at Daya’s irritation as she looked to Fang.  “How’s your arm?  It looked like it was ready to give out a few times.”

Light watched as Amara inspected Fang’s injured arm while Fang flexed for her.  “Bit sore, but nothing too bad.  Ooma does good work.”

Amara hmm’d softly as she pulled a small glass bottle from her satchel and applied some of the pale rose colored oil to Fang’s arm, which she gently rubbed into the skin, inspecting what was left of the cut.  “We’ll need to clean it properly, but it looks to be doing well.”

“Looks like it’ll be a nice scar soon.”  Daya added.  It was a compliment among the Yun, they carried such pride in the scars of past battles, and none better than those received while protecting others.

 


End file.
